


A Snake Named Anwir

by Burgie



Series: SSO Wild West AU [18]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-10-29 22:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17817101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Things have been quiet in New Jorvik as of late. Too quiet. Though, maybe all of those horsenappings haven't just been random... Dorian sets Crystal to work with outlaws, but can she put aside her moral compass and work with Esmeralda, Rob, and Darko to get the horses back? Dorian belongs to rebecawolfforest on tumblr, Crystal belongs to bluenightscrystal on tumblr, and Esmeralda belongs to Shadowlord13. Written for the SSO Wild West AU One Year Later On anthology.





	1. Chapter 1

Sheriff Dorian Wolf loosed a gusty sigh as he sat back in his seat, swinging his booted feet up onto his desk in the sheriff's office of New Jorvik. Things around here had been quiet as of late, he mused as he picked up his current wood carving (a bear, he intended it as a gift to his beloved Rob, though neither of them would admit that) and began to whittle away at it again with his small knife. In the year since the Battle of New Jorvik, crime in New Jorvik had been at an all-time low. Not least, he suspected, because Mayor Skoll (now ex-Mayor) had been run out of town, taking with him many bad deals that would have only brought ruin to New Jorvik.

But for the past year, any crime in New Jorvik had only been small and petty. A few thefts (nothing major, and Rob swore that he wasn't behind any of them), a few imprisonments (including one Zelda Dusknight being imprisoned for gambling debts and one Izabella Snowbell being imprisoned for robbery), a few arguments that had needed to be settled in court, and a few small disagreements over cattle, but other than that? Nothing. And Dorian liked it that way, if he was being quite honest. Even if his new deputy, Crystal Bluenight, had seemed a little bored as of late. Although, there had been one thing…

A few months after the battle, a horse had been stolen from New Silverglade. Well, not stolen, switched. Almost like a changeling myth that he'd heard of as a babe. In the end, of course, the stolen horse had been found not too far away from Baroness Annabelle Silverglade's extensive grape plantation, but that had been only the beginning of that trouble. More horse thefts had followed this one, townspeople losing beloved companions and good racehorses. Of course, Dorian didn't much care for the loss of racehorses, preferring to have horses as companions rather for work, but the companions... well, he still remembered when Louisa Mcburg, the sweet horse trainer from Moorland Ranch, had come to him in tears, sobbing that her beloved pinto Jorvik Warmblood Goldmist had gone missing during the night. He wouldn't have simply run off, she'd said, he was better than that, more loyal, more loving. Dorian had promised to look into it, but Crystal hadn't been able to turn up anything. The trail, if there had ever been one, had gone cold.

The sound of his door opening prompted Dorian to put down his carving and his feet, brushing the wood shavings from his desk and into his hand before depositing them in the small bucket that he had as a trash can. Crystal entered, her short reddish-brown hair in some sort of disarray. But there was a spark in her grey eyes.

"Afternoon, Crystal," said Dorian, nodding to her. "What can I do for you?"

"Well," said, Crystal, plopping herself down in the chair in front of Dorian's desk, "I'm glad you asked. I have news pertaining to those horsenappings that've been happening around here as of late."

"Oh?" Dorian asked, raising an eyebrow. Crystal nodded.

"Since I've been covering shifts at The Wolfpack, I've started picking up on some gossip," said Crystal, lacing her fingers together. At first, Dorian hadn't been sure about Crystal taking on the job of bartender, worried that it would take her away from the more important job of protecting the town. But, as it turned out, things had been quiet enough that it didn't matter. Besides, Emma would be home any day now from her big adventure that had also taken Louisa away. Which was a pity, if they needed her to give them more information about Goldie's disappearance. But Dorian chased those thoughts from his mind for now, deciding instead to focus on what Crystal was telling him.

"What sort of gossip?" Dorian asked.

"Well, rumour has it that there have been horsenappings all over the place," said Crystal. "Not as bad as before the battle, else we would've heard about it before now, but there still seems to be a pattern."

Dorian nodded and rose from his seat, taking down the map of New Jorvik that hung on the wall behind his desk.

"Show me," said Dorian, placing the map of New Jorvik down on the table. It showed the major ranches, including some of the smaller farms, houses, and businesses.

"Okay," said Crystal, picking up some small pins that Dorian kept on his desk for the purpose of pointing things out on his map. "So the horsenapper, if it is the same person behind all of the disappearances, struck here first, at Silverglade Ranch." She put a pin in here. "And then Moorland Ranch, where they took a few horses but not a large number. According to Thomas Moorland, the horses that were taken included Saga, belonging to his son Justin, and Hieronymo, a beautiful Lipizzaner belonging to one of the girls there, Tan, but also a few of the horses who should rightfully have a future in the rodeo or on the racetracks. Like Baroness Silverglade's, if she ever finishes hers." Dorian chuckled at the old joke.

"It's concerning, though, that they go after beloved companions as well as race horses," said Dorian, sobering. "Almost like they're trying to strike at our hearts. But my question is why? Why try to lower morale? Are they planning something more nefarious, has Dark Corps returned?" Now he was beginning to panic, his heart racing. Of course, he told himself, he shouldn't think of the more outrageous explanations, the people of New Jorvik would want a rational explanation. Besides, it was probably just a random coincidence that beloved horses were being stolen as well as horses good for racing.

"I don't know," said Crystal. "But I got a name- Anwir."

"Anwir?" Dorian repeated, frowning. A strange name, one that he swore sounded familiar.

"Yup, that fancy man who hung around here for a little while a few months back," said Crystal. A frown creased her brow suddenly. "Huh. He showed up not long before Butterfly was switched out and almost stolen."

"You think he could be responsible?" Dorian asked.

"Yeah," said Crystal, nodding. "I think it's definitely worth looking into, at any rate. What do you think?"

"I think we should ask Thomas," said Dorian.

"Want me to go and fetch him for you?" Crystal asked.

"No need," said Dorian, shaking his head as he rose from his seat and picked up his hat, placing it back atop his long blond hair. "I'll pay them a visit. Do me good to visit some of our locals, and I love seeing the horses."

"Okay, you can go play with ponies," said Crystal, stretching her arms out behind her. "I'll hold down the fort here." Dorian gave her a soft smile.

"If I come back and find you asleep, I won't hold it against you," said Dorian. Crystal rolled her eyes, even as she pushed the map away so that she could fold her arms on the desk with her head rested on top of them.

Dorian stepped outside into the midday sunshine, taking in a deep breath of the fresh, hot air. It was beautiful here, truly. Peaceful. Tranquil, almost. With a smile on his lips, Dorian walked over to where he had Iceace, his chestnut Hanoverian mare, tethered to a spot that provided shade, food, and fresh water for her. He gave her neck a pet in greeting, murmuring to her quietly, before picking up her tack (which he could safely leave outside with her) and placing it on her. Untying her, he rode his mare across town and out to the Moorland Ranch.

As Dorian rode through the dappled sunshine coming through the trees that surrounded Moorland Ranch, he couldn't help but grin. Here was where he felt most at home, in the saddle surrounded by nature. And the sound of horses in the distance only added to that effect. He almost didn't want to reach his destination, but he knew that this was more important. He could enjoy the beauty of nature later, once New Jorvik was safe again and the horses had been returned.

Stopping Iceace in the main stableyard, Dorian dismounted, leading her to another spot to tie her, while he sought out the owner. He found Thomas Moorland stooping down to pick up a heavy-looking sack, and jogged over to help.

"Need some help?" Dorian asked, grinning at the man. Thomas gave him a grateful smile and together, the two men picked up the heavy sack of oats and carried it into the stable, where it would be locked away safe from the horses.

"Thank you," said Thomas, brushing dust off his hands. "But I have to ask, what brings you here, Sherriff? My son hasn't gotten into any mischief, has he?" Dorian laughed.

"Oh no, not at all," said Dorian. "I was just wondering, would you be open to answering some more questions about those horses that disappeared from here a few weeks ago?"

"Of course," said Thomas, straightening up at once. "We'll talk in my office, though, best not to frighten anyone in the stable."

"Good plan," said Dorian, nodding. "Lead the way."

Thomas led Dorian into the main ranch house, which Dorian looked at with fondness. It was definitely different around here without Zelda, and even Eden was busy, off on some adventure of her own, but things still seemed to be going very well at Moorland Ranch. Dorian was glad for that, though he hoped that reopening the horsenapping investigation wouldn't hinder the progress that this town had made in rebuilding.

"Right, now," said Thomas, facing Dorian across the desk as Dorian took a seat in front of him in his office. The door had been closed, and Thomas had told Jenna, his sweetheart and the co-owner of these stables, to ensure that he was not disturbed. "What was it you needed to ask me?"

"When the horses went missing, had you recently been visited by a man named Anwir?" Dorian asked. "I'm not sure if it's a first name or last name, honestly, but it's the only name we have."

"Hmm," Thomas hummed thoughtfully, pursing his lips. "Now that you mention it, that name does sound familiar. Do you know what he looked like?"

"No," said Dorian, cursing himself for jumping to conclusions. "But I heard that he was also around New Silverglade when that whole kerfuffle with Butterfly happened."

"Now, that does sound rather more familiar," said Thomas. "I'll just check my eldger." Privately, Dorian thought that Thomas wouldn't find anything, especially if Anwir was the criminal- after all, it wasn't very smart of a criminal to leave any kind of identifying information behind. But he sat waiting patiently while Thomas thumbed through his ledger, his eyes scanning the names quickly.

"Nothing?" Dorian asked when Thomas at last closed the book and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no," said Thomas. "But that name is just so darn familiar. Maybe I should ask Jenna."

"Ask me what?" Jenna asked as the office door opened. Thomas shook his head, though he smiled.

"Jenna, I told you that I wasn't to be disturbed," said Thomas. But Jenna only smiled as she made her way over to the desk and bent over to plant a kiss on Thomas' lips. Dorian looked away, blushing at the very public display of affection. He could never do that with Rob, not least because of he scandal it would cause to have the sheriff in bed with an outlaw.

"Well, I made an exception for myself," said Jenna. "You'll have to get used to that if you're to marry me." She planted her hand on her hip as she straightened up, a smile on her lips. And now, Dorian saw the ring glittering on her finger.

"O-oh, congratulations!" said Dorian, suddenly feeling very out of depth and very much like he'd like to go home.

"Thank you," said Jenna, beaming at him as she flashed her ring. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"Oh, well, Dorian just came over asking if we remembered a man going by the name of Anwir," said Thomas.

"That name is familiar," said Jenna, nodding. A spark flashed in her blue eyes. "Oh, is he the one who came here not long before Saga and Hieronymo went missing? I remember I found it strange, what with this mostly being a ranch that caters to the younger kids. He seemed to like the horses a lot."

"Yes, that sounds like him," said Thomas, snapping his fingers. "I remember now! He had a moustache and wore a very fancy blue suit. Seemed like he was from the city, so I don't know what he was doing on a ranch unless he was looking to buy."

"And then he just left without too much fanfare," said Jenna. "That was also very odd."

"And he had dark skin," said Thomas. "He seemed to speak with some sort of accent, too."

"That helps me so much, thanks," said Dorian, grinning as he rose to his feet. "I'll ask around, see if anyone knows anything else about him. If your description matches that of other people who also saw Anwir and lost horses, well, we may have found our man."

"I hope so," said Jenna, smiling at him. "Tan's been in hysterics over losing Hieronymo, and Loretta is terrified of the same thing happening to Bartok."

"Plus Justin misses Saga a lot," said Thomas, a frown creasing his brow. "First Zelda, then Saga, the poor guy..."

"I feel so sorry for him," said Dorian. "But rest assured, Mr Moorland, I may not be able to free Zelda from jail but I can do my best to get back all of those missing horses."

"Thank you," said Thomas, tears filling his eyes as he took both of Dorian's hands in both of his and shook them fiercely. "Thank you so much, this means a lot to me."

"I know," said Dorian. As he left, he really hoped that he wouldn't let these poor people down.

Dorian stayed late in his office that night, saying that he had to work on paperwork while the reality was far different. He sipped at his whiskey, the liquor burning slightly. But he set it down when he heard the familiar footfall outside his window. Dorian stood, opening the window to admit entrance to the tall and muscular Rob. His hunky sailor, he called him sometimes. But being in Rob's strong embrace felt very nice. Rob gave the best hugs.

"Rob come," said Rob. Though his vocabulary was stinted, Dorian knew that his boyfriend was far more intelligent than most gave him credit for. And his words held such warmth, despite their simplicity.

"I knew you would," said Dorian, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. His door was locked, so he only had to draw the blind over the window before he took a seat and dragged a chair around so that Rob could sit next to him.

"You okay?" Rob asked when Dorian sat in silence for a few moment, nursing his whiskey. Dorian knocked it back, steeling his nerves before he turned to his paramour.

"I think we've found the horse thief," said Dorian. "But I'm going to need your help."

"Rob help?" Rob asked. Dorian nodded.

"I'm hoping that you know people, so... I need you to find Esmeralda for me," said Dorian, hating that he was using his paramour like this.

"Shadow?" Rob asked, using the name that many gave Esmeralda. She was like a shadow in the night, only much more deadly.

"Yeah, her," said Dorian, nodding again. "Do you think you can find her?"

"Rob help," said Rob, giving a firm nod of his own. But then he wrapped his arms around his beloved, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But first, Rob stay. Until morning."

"Thank you," said Dorian, returning Rob's kiss. He really hoped that this meeting went well, that everything went smoothly. But he could worry about that tomorrow anyway. Right now, his only concern was to make the most of the time that he had with Rob. Even if that did include falling asleep in his arms.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins with another horsenapping, and Dorian has a proposition that Crystal isn't too happy about.

The sun had barely arisen over New Jorvik when Crystal rode into town the next morning. The air was crisp with a slight bite to it, though that would melt away rather quickly. It was probably warmer away from the town, though, especially in the desert that was surprisingly quite nearby. 

But Crystal had been awakened early by Dorian, who had knocked on her door before the sun had even begun to peek above the horizon. She'd answered the door in her nightgown, embarrassed to find the man who was essentially her boss catching her unawares. But he'd looked similarly uncomfortable, looking at his feet after catching a glimpse of her.

"Sorry," Crystal had said, smothering a yawn with her hand. "I wasn't expecting an early start."

"It's okay," Dorian had said, giving her a gentle smile. His port wine stain birthmark over his left eye was hard to see in such low lighting. "I didn't expect her to get here so early."

"Her?" Crystal had repeated, straightening up. "Who?"

"Oh, Esmeralda Shadowlord, the legendary outlaw," Dorian had said. "She was involved in the Battle of New Jorvik, actually."

"The name is familiar," Crystal had said, frowning. "Alright, then. I'll be there as soon as possible."

And it hadn't taken her too terribly long to get dressed and make herself look presentable. And now, seeing that there were only a few early risers up and about, including the town librarian, Carina, setting out the open sign for the library, Crystal felt a lot better about the early hour. So this was an awful hour to be awake at and she hadn't been rising late without meaning to.

But as she reached the sheriff's office, Crystal noticed that Thunderhoof, her North Swedish mare, seemed a little skittish and spooky. Her mare kept pinning her ears back, snorting and almost flinching.

"What's wrong, girl?" Crystal murmured, reaching her hand down to stroke the thick mane. And then, Crystal sniffed the air and froze, pulling her mare to a gentle stop. The scent of wolf was thick in the air, and Crystal instantly reached for the gun that she wore at her hip as part of her deputy's uniform. Luckily, Thunderhoof had been trained for this, as had Crystal, so Crystal didn't feel too bad about potentially needing to fire her weapon. But she knew not to until she was absolutely certain that she had to, as Dorian had taught her.

Outside the door to the sheriff's office, Crystal found the source of the smell. A black wolf was lying there, his head resting on his huge paws. He looked almost like a dog. At once, Crystal dismounted Thunderhoof, lightly smacked her rump and told her mare to return home, and dashed past the wolf (who didn't even lift his head) and into Dorian's office. Once there, she slammed the door shut behind her, shaking violently.

"Crystal? What's wrong?" Dorian asked, raising his head to look at her as Crystal slumped back against the door. Crystal cast her gaze about wildly, and couldn't help but notice two others in the room- Rob, Dorian's close 'friend', and a woman, one with bronzed skin and long, gold-streaked curly light brown hair. She looked the part of an outlaw, too, in her all-black outfit of coat, shirt and pants. A black cowboy hat, presumably belonging to her, sat on Dorian's desk beside her crossed legs which she had propped up on the desk.

"Th-there's a wolf," Crystal stammered, her heart pounding. "O-outside your office, just by the door!"

"Oh, he's mine," said the woman. She spoke with a Spanish accent.

"He's what?" Crystal demanded, gaping at her.

"Yeah, my wolf," said the woman, taking her boots off the desk and standing up. "I have to see if you scared him now." She brushed past Crystal, who'd stepped away from the door in her shock. "Mateo, are you okay?" The door closed behind her and Crystal could only blink in surprise.

"Who is she?" Crystal asked, gesturing behind her.

"That is Esmeralda Shadowlord, one of the best bounty hunters out there," said Dorian. "I figured if anyone could find our man, it'd be her. Many a man has fallen prey to her wiles. If he's of that persuasion, anyway." He knew better than any not to judge.

"And she has a pet wolf," said Crystal. Sure, she was a great bounty hunter, she was probably going to help them out a lot, but seriously, why a wolf?

"That's what I said, isn't it?" said Esmeralda, walking back into the office. "Mateo is fine, by the way. And you must be Crystal Bluenight, the deputy. We've been waiting for you for hours."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to look good," said Crystal, wrinkling her nose at the faint scent of sweat that hung around Esmeralda. The woman laughed.

"I don't even have to try," said Esmeralda. Crystal rolled her eyes, taking a seat at Dorian's desk a little away from Esmeralda. Esmeralda still propped her feet back up on the desk, though. Her boots were very nice, probably from cashing in on many bounties. Crystal envied her.

"Right, now that we're all here," said Dorian, ignoring the tension between the two women. "Esmeralda, we're looking for a man."

"Isn't everyone?" said Esmeralda with a roll of her eyes. Crystal glared at her. This was important, and Esmeralda wasn't taking this seriously at all.

"We believe-" Dorian began, but just then, the door to his office burst open, revealing a tiny blonde girl dressed in an obscene amount of pink.

"Sheriff Dorian, you have to help!" the girl cried out. Crystal recognised her as Madison Hightower, belonging to the Hightower family who lived out on the plains of New South Hoof. A finely-dressed man followed Madison in, looking frazzled and looking behind him at the wolf (who was still sleeping peacefully).

"Madison!" her father, Erik, the nicely-dressed man, cried as he came to a stop. He panted, holding a stitch in his side.

"Madison, Erik, what's wrong?" Dorian asked. Rob looked uncomfortable, moving away from Dorian so that nobody would get the wrong (or right) idea.

"That stupid man stole Nightdust and the wild ponies!" Madison cried. "It was Anwir, I saw him!"

"Now, Madison, you can't go making baseless accusations," said Erik, blushing as he looked at Dorian. "Sorry about my daughter, sir."

"No, no, we're actually just having a meeting about that," said Dorian. Madison's eyes lit up as she grinned, then turned to point at her father.

"See, dad?" said Madison. "I told you!"

"Wait, really?" Erik asked.

"Yes, tell us what happened," said Crystal.

"Okay, well," said Erik. "It was actually Madison who saw everything, she loves playing with the wild ponies who live near our ranch."

"Yeah!" said Madison. "And then Nightdust, my wonderful, beautiful horse, went missing! And it was after I saw that man, Anwir, that stupid, evil man, doing something with the ponies. It was like he was watching them, and I think I saw him putting pieces of rope around their tails."

"Uh huh," said Crystal, nodding as she pulled a notebook towards her and began writing details down. "What did he look like, how did he dress, can you remember?"

"He wore fancy clothes," said Madison, frowning. "And he had a little beard here." She rubbed her fingers over her chin, symbolising a goatee. "And he had brown skin and he talked funny."

"Funny like this?" Esmeralda asked.

"Yeah, his voice sounded funny, but not like yours," said Madison, nodding. She spun back around to face Dorian and Crystal. "Can you find my Nightdust and the other ponies, please? Nightdust is a beautiful black stallion, that’s what you need to know, right? I’ve read so many detective novels!" Erik chuckled, as if to say ‘too many’.

"They're all Welsh ponies I think, if that helps," said Erik.

"We'll do our best," said Dorian. "But first, I think it might be in our best interests to call a town meeting. Not to alarm anyone, just to tell everyone to keep an eye out for this Anwir." He turned to Madison, leaning over his desk to be on her eye level. "Madison, did you see if Anwir was with anyone?"

"Yes!" said Madison, her eyes lighting up. "There was a fat man with him, I think he was called Carl? I'm sure that's what the stupid man said. I call him stupid man number two."

"Madison," said Erik with a sigh.

"Swarthy man named Carl, got it," said Crystal, nodding as she wrote this down.

"And he had a moustache, which is how I knew he was evil," said Madison. "Do you think you could find them and the ponies?"

"He just said he could," said Esmeralda, giving a roll of her eyes. Crystal glared at her, but Madison's eyes went huge as she beheld Esmeralda.

"Wow, are you a bounty hunter?" Madison asked, her eyes seeming to sparkle. Esmeralda smiled.

"I am," said Esmeralda. "I've collected so many bounties now that I could buy my own ranch if I chose to."

"Wow," said Madison. "I wanna be a bounty hunter! Have you killed anyone?"

"Of course," said Esmeralda. "I've killed and bedded more men than you'll ever know." Blushing, Erik covered Madison's ears and prayed to Aideen that she wouldn’t ask Esmeralda if she could be her apprentice.

"Anyway," said Dorian. "Thank you for coming to us, Madison and Erik. You've actually helped us a lot."

"Oh, praise Aideen," said Erik with a sigh. "I was so worried that my daughter was going to go after Anwir and Carl herself. She threatened to do that, that's why I chased after her. All the way here."

"Dad really needs to exercise more," said Madison, laughing. Erik's cheeks reddened again.

"Madison," said Erik. But Crystal only laughed.

"Kids, right?" said Crystal. "Don't worry, we're on the case."

"I'll call a town meeting for this afternoon in J- in The Wolfpack," said Dorian. It was difficult for him to get used to the new name of the bar after he'd been calling it Jack's Bar for so long, but Emma's thinking had been that there were so many people with 'wolf' in their surname in town that a bar named The Wolfpack seemed like a better idea.

"Oh! Can we stay for that, dad, please?" Madison asked, turning her huge eyes to her father. Dorian had never seen anyone do puppy eyes quite so well, though of course it was more potent on a child.

"Sure, why not?" said Erik, shrugging. "I could use a drink, anyway. And a rest."

"And a shower," said Madison in a loud whisper to the rest of the room. Erik groaned, rubbing his hands down his face.

"We'll see you at the meeting," said Erik, taking Madison's hand and walking outside with her. As they left, Crystal heard Madison ask if she could pet the nice doggy and Erik shout that no it was a wolf and they should stay calm and quiet and get out of there. Crystal couldn't help but smile at their banter, as did Dorian.

"Right, so we're looking for a Carl and an Anwir," said Esmeralda, taking her feet off the desk and leaning forward on it. "Should I start looking near New South Hoof since that where they were last seen?"

"We," Dorian corrected. Esmeralda raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Esmeralda asked.

"You'll do this as a team effort," said Dorian. "You, Crystal, and Rob."

"Me?" Crystal asked, aghast. "You expect me to work with-with criminals?"

"Hey, now," said Dorian, frowning at her. "Criminals can be okay in this town."

"I know," said Crystal. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Well, regardless, I want you working on this with Esmeralda and Rob," said Dorian. "You're a sharp shooter and great at acting, Esmeralda is a fearless bounty hunter who can also seduce a man if need be, and Rob is the muscle as backup. And just in case he needs to go undercover as a worker or something."

"And why can't you go?" Crystal asked.

"Because I want to stay and protect my town," said Dorian. "besides, I need to protect my own precious horses and my sister and her son."

"Fine," said Crystal. "But I'm not going to be happy about it."

"You don't have to be," said Esmeralda. "We'll get this job done, I'll collect my payment, you get your horses back and the town safe, simple. What could go wrong?"

"Don't say that," said Crystal, groaning and rubbing her face with her hands. Esmeralda only laughed.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorian holds a town meeting, but a certain little girl may have her own plans...

It had been quite some time since the townsfolk of New Jorvik had gathered together in the saloon like this. Though, it hadn't been as far back as the great battle- no, not long after that battle, the townsfolk had gathered together again to celebrate Mayor Sigry's win in the election and to welcome her in as their new mayor. That had been a rather more festive occasion than this one, though.

Now, the group that gathered in The Wolfpack looked a little confused and concerned. Crystal stood behind the bar, cleaning the glass that was either eternally filthy or eternally clean, depending on who you asked. Dorian tried not to look too nervous as he faced the crowd of assembled townspeople. He didn't want mass panic to break out, but he was beginning to realise that that would be like wishing for snow in the middle of summer. But it became a little more difficult to remain calm when Sigry Varanger, newly-elected mayor, approached him. She had her partner, the vet Dr Eiren, and daughter, the blind girl Rania, with her.

"Good afternoon, sherriff," said Sigry. "Am I wrong in hoping that you have called us all here for a fine lunch?"

"Unfortunately," said Dorian with a chuckle, fiddling with the brim of his hat that he held in his hands in front of him.

"I do hope that it's nothing bad, though," said Dr Eiren. Sigry put a gentle hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Well, I'm hoping it isn't," said Dorian. "It's more of a warning, really. Not for anything bad, just-"

"Is it about the horsenappings?" Rania asked, her filmy eyes huge. Despite not being able to see a thing, Rania had more life in her than most young women in town, even some young men.

"Oh, I really hope it's nothing to do with them," said Dr Eiren. "If anything happened to Dellingr, I don't know what poor Rania would do with herself." Rania groaned, rolling her eyes. Sigry laughed.

"You're the one who introduced us," Sigry teased.

"I know," Rania grumbled. "I thought two mamas would be a good thing."

"Not when one is a vet and fusses over you just as much as your birth mother," said Dr Eiren with a smirk. Rania sighed, but then perked up at the sound of a wolf's claws clicking on the front porch of the saloon. Her eyes brightened immediately.

"Is that a wolf?" Rania asked. "Here, in New Jorvik?" And suddenly, she looked like a child, alive with excitement.

"Yeah, he's mine," said Esmeralda as she walked through the saloon doors. They swung to clack shut behind her, and she planted her hands on her hips and looked around. "Been a while since I've been in here. Hasn't changed much."

"Well, you know us Jorvegians, we're a traditional lot, mostly," said Sigry, walking over and extending a hand for Esmeralda to shake. "Sigry Varanger, mayor of New Jorvik. As of this year, anyway. Who are you?"

"Can I pet your wolf?" Rania asked before Esmeralda could answer.

"Sure, go ahead," said Esmeralda, shrugging. "He only bites if I tell him to."

"Yes!" Rania cheered, and wove through the crowd, easily sidestepping all of the obstacles. All of the New Jorvegians knew to move out of Rania's way, not just because she was blind but mostly because Rania would bowl over or nudge aside anyone who got in her way. She was like her mother in that regard.

"A woman in power, I like to see that," said Esmeralda, her eyes roving Sigry's form as if assessing her. Sigry stood tall and proud, assessing her with the same gaze. At last, though, Esmeralda shook Sigry's hand. "Esmeralda Shadowlord, bounty hunter for hire. Recently hired by your sheriff to help him track down a notorious horse thief."

"Is that so?" Sigry asked, turning her gaze to Dorian.

"Yes, ma'am," said Dorian. "I thought it was our best chance of finding him."

"Oh, so you know the gender of the horse thief now?" Sigry asked.

"Yes," said Dorian, nodding. "Especially since Madison Hightower and her father, Erik, came in this morning after Madison caught Anwir in the act."

"Hmm, are you sure?" Sigry asked, pursing her lips. "Madison does have quite the overactive imagination."

"Well, she couldn't have heard the name 'Anwir' anywhere, and she didn't know about these horse thefts," said Dorian. "And her description of him matches the description of the man who's been involved in all of the mysterious horse disappearances. So I'm inclined to believe her."

"I trust you," said Sigry. "So the purpose of this meeting is to, what, inform the townsfolk that you're working on the case?"

"Basically, yes," said Dorian, nodding. "And I really hope that it doesn't spread fire." Sigry snorted.

"That's like asking clean clothing not to get wet when they're on the clothesline when it rains," said Sigry.

"We can only hope," said Dorian. "Anyway, it looks like everyone's here now and getting restless."

"Best start the meeting before people get restless or too scared," said Sigry, nodding as she stepped back. "The floor's all yours, sheriff. Good luck."

"Thank you," said Dorian. He took a deep breath before he stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Could I have everyone's attention, please?" All eyes turned to him, and he suddenly wished that he'd asked Sigry to take the reins on this one. But this was his division and his meeting, so he had to speak.

While her father had been distracted by talking to the townspeople who he rarely saw, Madison had decided to sneak outside and see if there really was a wolf out here. Her eyes widened as she saw that, indeed, there was the large, furry form of a black lupine lying on the front porch of the saloon. Rania, a plucky young girl who Madison had heard about, sat next to the wolf, stroking her fingers through his thick black fur and cooing to him, marveling at how pretty he was. But both girl and wolf looked up when Madison slipped outside.

"Who's there?" Rania asked.

"It's me, Madison," Madison whispered. At once, Rania grinned.

"Madison, hey," said Rania. "Take a seat, come and say hi to this wolf. He's really gentle, actually."

"Wow," Madison whispered, still awed to be in the presence of this massive animal. She knelt down on the other side of the wolf, her hand hovering near his ears for a moment before she held her shaking hand out towards his muzzle.

"That's right, let him have a sniff," said Rania. "Let him get to know you."

"How do you know so much about wolves?" Madison asked, looking at Rania.

"Well, promise not to tell my mama?" Rania asked.

"I promise," said Madison, nodding quickly. "Just as long as you promise not to tell daddy that I've been out here petting this wolf." Rania giggled.

"Your secret's safe with me," said Rania. "I've actually been sneaking out to see the wolves that live near New Mistfall, where we used to live before mama had to move into New Jorvik, every so often since we’ve moved here. Dellingr and I go out there in the middle of the night. When I was a little girl, growing up in New Mistfall, I learned a lot about wolves from this really lovely teacher. She taught me all about how to approach them, how to act with them, how to get them to trust you, everything like that."

"Wow," said Madison. "That's so cool!" She kept her voice low, both so as not to scare the wolf and because she didn't want her father to know that she was out here.

"I know," said Rania, grinning. "It's really cool. I love wolves, they're amazing animals. If I couldn't have Dellingr to help me with my sight, I'd want a wolf for sure."

"I hope Anwir doesn't get Dellingr," said Madison, suddenly sombre.

"Me too," said Rania. "If I could, I'd go with the people who are tracking down Anwir."

"Wait, there are people tracking him down?" Madison asked. Rania laughed.

"My hearing is much sharper than yours," said Rania. "They're talking about it right now, just listen." Madison held her breath, to which Rania tried to smother a snort. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to hear better," said Madison. Rania giggled, shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Try listening over near the doors," said Rania.

As Madison crouched near the doors, hoping that nobody would suddenly come walking up and see her (or worse, look down and see her crouched there), she heard the tail end of Dorian's message.

"I just want you all to try to remain calm," said Dorian. "This isn't meant to raise alarm, only to inform you that I'm sending out a team of some very good trackers to hunt down Anwir and bring him to justice. Esmeralda Shadowlord, the bounty hunter; Rob, an outlaw with amazing strength; and Crystal Bluenight, my most trusted deputy."

"And why won't you be going with them?" someone piped up from the crowd.

"I'm needed here to protect my town," said Dorian. "Just in case the worst should happen. Not that I'm expecting it to, but it still may. And I need to protect my own horses as well, of course. But in the meantime, I urge all of you to remain on high alert for anyone matching Anwir and Carl's descriptions. I've had some Wanted posters drawn up, and I'll hang them up around town after this meeting. Go about your business as usual, just remain vigilant. And please, try to remain calm."

"Should we be worried?" a woman asked.

"No," said Dorian. "Though, I do suggest that you keep an eye on not just your own but also your neighbours' horses, if you can. And hopefully, my team can find Anwir and bring him to justice without any more horses going missing."

Madison zoned out, scampering back over to Rania.

"I'm going to find all the horses," said Madison.

"But Dorian's sending out his own team," said Rania.

"I know but I want to find Nightdust," said Madison. "Wouldn't you want to rescue Dellingr if it was him?"

"Well, yes, but-" Rania started, but Madison cut her off.

"Exactly! So I have to go," said Madison. "I just need to find out when they're leaving, and then I can sneak along with them."

"I want to come too," said Rania. "We could make our own team."

"Yes!" said Madison. "But wait, then won't people worry that the princess is missing?"

"Princess?" Rania repeated, blushing.

"You know what I mean," said Madison, waving her hand. "You're the mayor's daughter, if you disappear, they might think Anwir kidnapped you."

"Oh yeah," said Rania. She huffed. "Darn it, the one thing that sucks about mama being mayor now." Madison laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it when I get home," said Madison. "I'll ride in on Nightdust's back, like they do in all the books."

"That's exactly how my mama met the vet, actually," said Rania, smiling fondly at the memory. "The vet was checking on the wolves but then they turned on her, so mama rode in on Eostre’s back and frightened them off. I was worried about the wolves, but it was fine. And according to the vet and mama, it was love at first sight."

Inside, the meeting had come to an end and Dorian was speaking with his team.

"I've talked to some old friends and they've agreed to cover the bar while I'm gone," said Crystal. "So that's settled." She took a deep breath, rubbing her arms. "Now we've just gotta head off, I guess."

"Aw, c'mon, I'm not that bad company," said Esmeralda, slinging her arm around Crystal's shoulders. Crystal frowned.

"Let's just get this over with," said Crystal, removing herself from Esmeralda's unwanted embrace.

Dorian headed outside with his group, bidding them all farewell. But he waited until they'd all disappeared before tugging Rob into a darkened alcove and giving him one last kiss. He would sorely miss Rob's embrace.

"Be careful," said Dorian. "And come home to me in one piece, if you can."

"Rob careful," said Rob, squeezing Dorian just a little tighter. "Rob miss you."

"I'll miss you too," said Dorian, tears in his eyes. "I wish I could come with you but I have to stay here and hold down the fort."

"Rob know," said Rob. "Rob love you."

"I love you too, big guy," said Dorian, pressing his face into Rob's chest. "So much." Rob kissed the top of Dorian's head.

Crystal didn't have much to pack. Only a few changes of clothes and, after a moment's thought, some nice things as well, just in case she had to go undercover. Her nicest dress didn't look like much, but it'd do in a pinch. Besides, she could always buy another one if she needed to. She just really hoped she wouldn't be robbed on the journey, either by her traveling companions or by people they met on the way.

"Going on on an adventure, huh?" her grandfather asked as Crystal came downstairs.

"Yes," said Crystal, smiling as she walked over to him. She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "My first big job as deputy, going to see if we can find the person stealing all the horses."

"Well, now, that's a big one," said her grandfather, smiling up at her. "Much better than providing security for those fancy balls and shindigs the rich people hold." Crystal laughed.

"I'll say," said Crystal.

“And more important, too," said her grandfather. "Horses are the heart and soul of New Jorvik, have been since the old country. Bringing a horse thief to justice is the most important thing you could do, round these parts." Crystal flushed at the praise.

"I'll do my best," said Crystal.

"You've got this," said her grandfather, holding his arms out for a hug. Crystal gladly gave him one, beaming as she held back tears behind her eyelids.

Esmeralda had nothing to prepare, really. Everything she needed, she had in Charra's saddlebags. Now, she only needed her wolf.

"Can I have my wolf back now?" Esmeralda asked, looking down at the blind girl, Rania, who'd been sitting with her Mateo for some time now.

"Oh, I'm not sure," said Rania. "He's such a sweetheart."

"Yeah, but he's my sweetheart," said Esmeralda. "So can I have him back? Please?" Rania pouted.

"Fine," said Rania, rising to her feet. "I guess we'll meet again when you make your triumphant return?"

"Of course," said Esmeralda. "I need to come back to collect my bounty, after all." Dorian had talked through the details with her after the meeting, promising her hundreds of shillings for the capture of Anwir.

"Then I'll see this handsome fella when you get back," said Rania, giving Mateo's ruff one more rub before she picked her seeing-eye cane up.

"I'm sure he's looking forward to it just as much as you are," said Esmeralda. "See you around, kiddo."

The trio met up outside of the sheriff's office, their horses' saddlebags bulging with supplies. Mateo sat near the horses, tongue lolling in the heat of the afternoon.

"Are we ready?" Esmeralda asked. Rob nodded.

"As I'll ever be," said Crystal, shrugging.

"Good," said Esmeralda. "Then let's get going, we're burning daylight."

"Good luck," said Dorian, standing outside of the door to his office.

"With me on your side, we won't need luck," said Esmeralda.

"Thank you," said Crystal to Dorian after giving Esmeralda an annoyed look. "I hope things are okay here while I'm gone."

"I think I'll manage," said Dorian, giving her a grin. "Take care."

"You too," said Crystal. She looked once more at her traveling companions. "Alright. Let's go."

"Finally," said Esmeralda, swinging herself up into Charra's saddle. Crystal mounted her North Swedish mare, while Rob also rode a North Swedish, this one a dark bay gelding named Windwhisper.

As the three set off, the wolf trotting along beside them, Dorian watched from the doorway of his office. Part of him felt bad for not going with them, nagging at him that he was being a coward. But he was needed here. And he had to be okay with that. Sighing, he turned and headed back inside once the trio were out of sight.

But, in the middle of the night, when the whole town slept, the figure of a small girl could just be seen following the tracks left by the small traveling party.

"I'm coming, Nightdust," she whispered to the night sky that glittered like jewels above her. "I promise."


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorian awakens to a wrench in his plans...

If Crystal had hated yesterday's early morning, she loathed waking up on the road. Especially when it had involved Esmeralda's boot not-so-gently nudging her in the side. Crystal grunted, immediately glaring up at the woman who looked down at her with an almost bored expression on her face.

"What?" Crystal snapped. A lock of red hair fell into her face, which she didn't bother to brush or blow away.

"Come on," said Esmeralda. "We're moving on."

"Where to?" Crystal asked, trying to focus on the task at hand and not on how angry she was at her rather rude awakening.

"Well, given that Anwir was last sighted in New South Hoof, I was thinking of heading in that direction," said Esmeralda. "Who knows, someone else might've seen something."

"We can only hope," said Crystal as she sat up in her bedroll. She climbed to her feet and stretched, trying to get the stiffness out of her joints. "Did anyone think to pack coffee?"

"Rob pack," said Rob, holding up a tin of the powder of the gods. Crystal's eyes gleamed at the sight of it, and she grinned and took a step towards it.

"Gimme," said Crystal, holding her hand out. Rob frowned at her, pulling the tin away. Crystal sighed. "Please?"

"Manners," said Rob, handing over her prize. Crystal grinned and immediately set about setting the little water tin over the campfire that had been lit for their breakfast. She could see some oats bubbling away in a pot, which she didn't think much of but at least someone had thought to make breakfast. Probably Rob. Not that Esmeralda didn't seem the domestic type, but she always knew when Rob had visited the sheriff's office because the cookie jar had been raided. Rob probably had a stash of cookies on him right now, not that he'd share them.

After gathering together her breakfast, Crystal sat down on a rock to eat, noting that Esmeralda waited by the horses, gazing into the distance, while Rob tended to the campfire. Probably keeping the oats warm just in case Crystal wanted to go back for seconds.

"Alright, let's go," said Crystal after eating. Esmeralda gave a sigh of relief, swinging herself into Charra's saddle.

"About time," said Esmeralda. "New South Hoof's a pretty long ride away."

"Good thing we've got fast horses," said Crystal.

"You'd better be telling the truth," said Esmeralda. Crystal ignored her, though, instead tacking up and saddling her horse while Rob did the same.

As they rode off, Crystal hoped that Dorian was having a better day.

Dorian was most certainly not having a better day. He'd arrived at the sheriff's office after a rather sleepless night (Rob helped him sleep, apparently, and he'd been worried about Iceace and her foal, not to mention his sister and her baby) to find Erik Hightower pacing restlessly, raking his fingers through his already-messy blond hair.

"What's the matter?" Dorian asked, immediately on the alert.

"It's Madison!" said Erik, turning to him with his eyes wide. His face looked pale, dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a man at his wit's end, which Dorian couldn't blame him for. "She's gone!"

"Gone?" Dorian repeated, frowning. He stepped past Erik, unlocking the door and heading into his office. It seemed so empty after the meeting yesterday, and already, yesterday felt like it had happened a million years ago.

"Yes, gone!" said Erik, ignoring Dorian's offer to sit and pacing behind the chair instead. Dorian sat, though, watching Erik pace and worrying.

"What happened?" Dorian asked, trying to remain calm. Though, if his sister's child ever went missing, he'd be pretty harried, too.

"Well, we went to bed at the inn last night, and I thought everything was fine," said Erik, still tugging on his hair. "I mean, sure, Madison was worried about Nightdust and talking about how she'd go after him and get him back, but I didn't believe her!"

"So you think she's gone after him, then?" Dorian asked.

"Yes," said Erik, nodding. "I don't know how but Madison's a sneaky kid, she can get past any lock. And my coin pouch has gone missing."

"Do you think she maybe eavesdropped on the meeting?" Dorian asked. Erik suddenly went pale.

"I-I took her there," said Erik, his hand going over his mouth. "Oh gosh, I didn't even think..."

"Well, don't worry," said Dorian. "In that case, I think I know exactly where she's gone."

"You do?" Erik asked, hope flaring to life in his voice as he turned to face Dorian. "Where?"

"Well, I'd say she's gone to New South Hoof, since that's where Anwir was last seen," said Dorian.

"So she's gone back home?" Erik asked. He sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest and shaking his head. "Oh, Madison, if only you'd waited a while..."

"There's only one way to find out," said Dorian. He stood up again, heading for the door. "We'll try the train station, see if anyone's seen your little girl."

"She knows better than to get on a train without a ticket," said Erik. "Besides, she wouldn't have taken my money otherwise." Dorian's lips quirked into a smile, though anxiety still twisted his guts at the thought of potentially embarking on a journey to find a little girl who was, in turn, looking for her pony.

The person manning the ticket booth looked bored, though he perked up a little when he saw the sheriff approaching.

"Sheriff Dorian! Good morning!" he said, a grin splitting his ruddy face. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if a little girl came here looking for a train ticket at some point during the night," said Dorian. "Dressed all in pink, had blonde hair tied up in pigtails, about yea high." He motioned with his hand to somewhere around his torso. The attendant's eyes lit up as he nodded.

"Oh, yeah, her, I remember her," he said. "She kept going on and on about this horse she had to save. Night something."

"Nightdust," said Erik, sagging with relief. "Oh, praise Aideen, do you know where she went?"

"Yep," said the attendant, nodding. "Got the 5:14 to New South Hoof this morning. I was a bit worried, of course, but she told me someone would be waiting for her there." Dorian sighed.

"In future, please ask to see an adult and don't let children on the train alone," said Dorian. "It's irresponsible."

"Yes, sir, sorry, won't do it again," said the attendant. "But there's another train going to New South Hoof in..." He looked at the clock in his tiny booth. "Half an hour."

"Well, that gives me enough time to inform Sigry, I guess," said Dorian. He held back a sigh. He really hadn't wanted to go on an adventure and leave his town but, well, it looked like fate had dealt him another hand. Typical.

"Why do we need to inform the mayor?" Erik asked.

"Because someone has to take over being the town's sheriff while I'm gone," said Dorian as he headed away from the train station and towards the mayor's house.

Sigry Varanger lived in a gorgeous little cottage not too far from the mayor's office. It doubled up as a veterinary practice, her partner tending to the town's animals. They had been a blessing to tht town, truly. And their daughter, Rania, was young and plucky and smarter than most people her age. And all that without the benefit of sight.

"Sheriff Dorian, what a surprise," said Sigry when she opened the door to see Dorian standing on her doorstep with Erik standing nervously behind her. "What has that daughter of mine done now?" Dorian laughed.

"I'm not here about her today, Sigry, don't worry," said Dorian, shaking his head. "Something's come up and I need to leave town for a little while. Don’t worry, it's nothing major."

"Is it to do with yesterday's meeting?" Sigry asked.

"Yes, how did you know?" Dorian asked.

"Just a hunch," said Sigry, shrugging. Dorian heard movement behind her, and Sigry turned to clap eyes on her daughter. "Rania Varanger, what have you done?"

"Nothing, mama," said Rania, though she looked very much like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Sigry narrowed her eyes at her. And, though Rania couldn't see her mother's expression, she still crumbled. "Okay, fine, I suggested to Madison that she should listen in on the meeting and maybe try to tag along with the rescue mission." Sigry sighed, so Rania hastened to defend her actions. "She lost her horse, mama! I'd do the same thing if Dellingr had gone missing!"

"And praise Aideen he hasn't," said Sigry. "Though, I am surprised that you didn't convince Madison to take you along with her."

"Actually, she convinced me not to," said Rania. "She said that it would look odd if I went missing since I'm the mayor's daughter. Only she called you a queen and me a princess."

"Yep, that sounds like Madison," said Erik.

"At least she has some sense," said Sigry. "No offense to your daughter, Erik."

"Oh, none taken," said Erik. "When we find her, she's going to be living on fish balls for the rest of her life. And be grounded until she's thirty."

"Thank you for helping us out," said Dorian. "Though, I have one more favour to ask." He suddenly felt nervous as the powerful Sigry Varanger looked at him. A shipbuilder by trade, she'd honed strong muscles over years of working. It was little wonder that the veterinarian had fallen head over heels for her.

"Name it," said Sigry. Dorian took a deep breath, then let it out.

"I need you to act as sheriff while I'm away, if you're able," said Dorian.

"I think I can handle that," said Sigry, nodding.

"Now, unfortunately, as you know, there is no deputy," said Dorian. "As she is also out on an adventure." He sighed. "This is why I wanted to avoid leaving town, but I have no choice."

"Can I be your deputy, mama?" Rania asked.

"Absolutely not," said Sigry. Rania pouted in the background, then made her way out of the room. But Dorian didn't hear her cane move any further away.

"I'm really sorry to put this on you," said Dorian. "If I had any other choice, I wouldn't do this."

"I can handle it," said Sigry, placing a hand to her chest. "It will only be for a few days, after all, and then I can return to being mayor. But it will be fun to be out in the field, so to speak. Being mayor is nice and all, but there's so much paperwork and I've missed getting the chance to be amongst it all."

"What are we doing now?" Dr Eiren asked as she walked into the room behind her partner.

"I'm going to juggle being mayor, deputy, and sheriff," said Sigry. Dr Eiren wrapped her arms around her partner from behind, sighing.

"Just as long as you don't overwork yourself, dear," said Dr Eiren. Sigry smiled and kissed Eiren's cheek.

"That's what I've got you here for," said Sigry. She looked back at Dorian, her hand still resting over Eiren's. "We've got this, sheriff, don't you worry about a thing. You just focus on finding that little girl."

"Thank you," said Dorian, relief sweeping through him as he smiled at the pair. Though, the relief was swiftly tailed by anxiety. Now, there was nothing stopping him from going after Madison. Though, he couldn't help but wish that he'd gone with Crystal and Esmeralda and Rob now after all. But maybe he'd meet them on his travels.

Half an hour later, Dorian and Erik were on the train headed to New South Hoof, Dorian's horse and an extra sweet paint mare by the name of Silvermist in the horse car. Anxiety was written large across the faces of both men, neither of them speaking a word. Hopefully, Madison would still be on South Hoof, and they could find her and ground her and wait for the others to find Anwir.

But, when they arrived to New South Hoof, they would find no little girl. For, while they'd made plans to depart, Madison had been making plans of her own. Plans that had resulted in a mad dash to the tiny town by the plain that New South Hoof resided on. Plans that had inevitably ended with Madison stuck in a covered wagon, struggling futilely with the ties that trapped her in here.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both groups make their separate ways towards New South Hoof, and Crystal begins to thaw a little.

While the train made its way from New Jorvik to New South Hoof, the party on horseback made pretty decent time riding along the road. While Crystal still wasn't entirely certain about travelling with two outlaws, she had to admit that Esmeralda and Rob weren't bad as far as travelling companions went. Esmeralda seemed to know the exact speed at which to ride a horse without overworking the horses. Even Rob, to her surprise, was quite the rider.

"Hey Rob, did you bring enough cookies for all of us?" Crystal asked, hearing the munching from her right where Rob rode. Rob hastily stuffed his cookie tin back into his saddlebag, rubbing crumbs from his face. His horse didn't appear to mind, nor did he fall behind.

"Rob no have cookies," said Rob. Crystal laughed.

"I'd believe you better if you didn't have cookie crumbs all over your face," said Crystal. She hadn't expected to find herself smiling at the man, never mind laughing at him. But he had definitely amused her. And he seemed much less standoffish than Esmeralda.

"Are you two having fun back there?" Esmeralda asked without turning to look at them. Crystal blushed anyway, though.

"Just trying to make good conversation to make the journey go faster," said Crystal.

"Rob make friend," said Rob.

"I wasn't complaining," said Esmeralda. Because honestly, it was good to have chatter at her back. Despite her reputation as the great outlaw lady, with her wolf at her heels and only secret visits to her elusive criminal boyfriend for company, Esmeralda did miss the company after long weeks on the road.

"Esmeralda want cookie?" Rob asked, riding up beside her. Esmeralda tried to act aloof but her act crumbled like a cookie at the sight of the delicious treat.

"Don't mind if I do," said Esmeralda, taking the proffered cookie and munching into it. It tasted delicious.

"Who cooked these, Rob?" Crystal asked, smiling as Rob offered her a cookie.

"Rob cook," said Rob, sitting up straighter in his saddle. He looked quite proud of himself. "Rob cook horse cookies too." Crystal gaped at him, hoping that Rob wouldn't take offense to her surprise.

"Sorry, I just..." Crystal said, unsure how to explain herself.

"Men don't usually cook," said Esmeralda. Now Rob looked offended.

"Rob cook!" Rob declared, Crystal cringing at his booming voice. His horse pinned her ears.

"Alright, gee, sorry," said Esmeralda. "I was going to say that Darko cooks, though. He's surprisingly good at it." Many times, she'd enjoyed Darko's fine cooking at the little hideout that she'd bought with the bounty money for turning Darko in before she'd subsequently broken him out. That was the one part of Esmeralda's legend that nobody knew- that she maintained a little hideout, a little ranch, really, where she often stayed with Darko when she wasn't out with her outlaw gang. She'd left one of her most trusted members in charge in her absence, though she suspected that she may need to call them in for backup if things went south.

"So the rumours are true, then?" Crystal asked. "That you've... taken up with Darko?"

"What happens on the road stays on the road," said Esmeralda, brushing her hair behind her ear while Crystal blushed and looked a little uncomfortable. Esmeralda was willing to admit that their little rivalry had turned into heated night under the stars, though she did hide the fact that they were still together. A lady had to have her secrets, after all, even an outlaw lady. In her case, it was a secret hideout and a secret boyfriend.

"Right," said Crystal, brushing her hair behind her ear. She took another cookie from Rob.

"We should reach New South Hoof by nightfall," said Esmeralda. "Then I'm thinking we'll split up and start asking around the little nearby town square for information on Anwir."

"Sounds good," said Crystal. She had to admit that Esmeralda knew what she was doing, even if she still wasn't sure about working with her. But who knew a horse thief better than a horse thief, right? Maybe that was the logic that Dorian had been going by, despite what he'd said about Esmeralda being a good tracker. Crystal would find out when they got to New South Hoof, she supposed.

At last, after travelling all day, Dorian disembarked the train at New South Hoof, collecting Iceace and Silvermist from the horse car of the train. Erik looked dubious as he looked at the old mare.

"How can you have never ridden before?" Dorian asked after helping Erik into the saddle. Erik gripped the reins tightly, looking entirely too stiff.

"I'm more of a homebody, really," said Erik, rubbing the back of his neck. "We don't actually have any horses on our ranch."

"That sounds strange," said Dorian.

"Well, we moved to a ranch because my mother needed my help setting things up here," said Erik. "We actually used to live in a city, until..." he trailed off, and Dorian sensed that it was a sore topic.

"You don't need to talk about it," said Dorian. "Just lead the way to your ranch."

"I'm glad it'll be a faster ride on horseback," said Erik with a nervous chuckle. "It took me all day to walk here."

"Horses are quite useful for travelling distances very quickly," said Dorian with a fond smile as he petted Iceace's neck. "In New Jorvik, everyone rides. The common saying is that some people were born in the saddle."

"You'd think Madison was born in the saddle, with how horse crazy she is," said Erik. "I've never seen any horses on my ranch, though, but apparently, Madison's seen plenty of them."

"Do you never go outside, then?" Dorian asked.

"No," said Erik, shaking his head. "I'm a lawyer, I've actually been corresponding with someone from New Jorvik, Linda Chanda, on a case against Dark Corps."

"Oh, really?" Dorian asked, brightening.

"Yep," said Erik, nodding. "How has New Jorvik been faring since that whole debacle, actually?"

"Pretty well," said Dorian. "It's been nice and quiet, aside from the horse thefts. A cowboy rode into town maybe a week ago, and that was the most excitement we've had until Madison came barging into my office."

"Sorry about that," said Erik, cringing.

"It's fine, really," said Dorian, waving away Erik's concern. "Now, do you actually know how to ride?"

"No," said Erik. He blushed, the blush standing out on his fair skin. Dorian gave him a gentle smile.

"It's simple, really- you nudge her sides to make her go, and pull on the reins, those strips of leather in your hands, to make her stop. But gently, she's a gentle mare, she won't need much telling," Dorian explained, gesturing to Silvermist's sides and her reins.

"Is that why you gave her to me?" Erik asked.

"Precisely," said Dorian, giving him a nod. "She's actually the mother of one of the horses who went missing, Louisa's Goldmist."

"So we're taking her to look for her son, then?" Erik asked. He gently nudged Silvermist's sides with his heels and the mare started forward at a plodding walk. Erik still cried out and lurched forward to cling to her neck, though, trembling.

"Pretty much, yes," said Dorian. Though honestly, he hadn't been thinking of that when he'd chosen her- he'd been thinking of which horse would be best suited to someone with no riding ability. Still, he'd have to remember this detail to tell to Louisa and Carina later- it would make a great story.

With Erik slowly leading the way, the farm soon came into sight, a cute little thing surrounded by fields of sugar and corn. There were a few horse paddocks, though they were empty, and the main houses were separated from the ranch. The ranch house itself looked little-used, broken shutters adorning it and holes in the roof that had been hastily patched over with planks of wood.

"Is this paddock safe to leave the horses in?" Dorian asked, gesturing to the paddock by the ranch. It looked like it would do in a pinch, the fences were all intact, at least. And Iceace and Silvermist were good girls.

"Well, not that I've ever had to leave horses in it, but they should be okay," said Erik. "And who knows, we might find Madison right now and you might even be able to catch the next train back to New Jorvik."

"We can only hope," said Dorian. Though, knowing how fate could be sometimes, he felt like there was far more left of this journey. He wouldn't be getting the easy way out, that was for sure.

Erik led Dorian into the farmyard, where a little yellow-furred dog ran out, barking happily. Erik laughed as the dog jumped around his heels, and then Dorian watched silently with a fond smile as the dog intently sniffed his heels.

"Mommy! Daddy! Holly!" Erik called. Dorian was glad that he had the dog to use as his excuse for smiling. It was a little odd to find a grown man referring to his parents like that, but, well, Erik had already proven to be quite different to any other man he'd ever met. And that wasn't a bad thing, variety was, after all, the spice of life.

Soon enough, a tall, stout woman with blonde hair piled atop her head emerged, accompanied by a portly fellow in a flat grey cap and long orange jacket, and a dark-skinned woman with her hair in dreadlocks. This last woman jogged over and embraced Erik.

"Erik, you're back!" the woman, evidently Holly, cried, hugging her husband tightly.

"Have you seen Madison?" the older woman asked. The older man, Erik's father, looked uncomfortable, and Dorian suppressed the urge to sigh.

"Yes, she took the train to New Jorvik but luckily I caught the train at the last minute and caught up with her there," said Erik. "I thought she came back here."

"She did," said the older woman. "And then Jonas, here, took her to New Aideen's Plaza and lost her."

"She seemed upset over losing Nightdust, I just wanted to cheer her up with some ice cream," said Jonas. "I only took my eyes off her for a second to get some ice cream..."

"You lost her?" Erik asked, suddenly irate. "Of course you did!" Dorian watched, alarmed and wanting to disappear, as Erik took a step towards Jonas. It would have been a comical sight, given the fact that Jonas was probably twice Erik's weight, were it not for the palpable tension in the air.

"Let's just both calm down, okay?" said Dorian, reluctantly stepping between the two. It was his job as sheriff, after all, to defuse any situations before they became too dangerous. Erik was still red in the face but he stepped back, to which Jonas looked relieved.

"I really am sorry," said Jonas. "When I got back home and she wasn't here, I felt awful."

"And you didn't go looking for her?" Erik asked.

"We figured that she might have gone out looking for the ponies," said Holly. Dorian immediately felt horror dawn on him.

"She probably has, but not the ponies you're thinking of," said Dorian. "While she was in New Jorvik, a meeting was held about the horse thefts that have been happening recently all around New Jorvik. Madison eavesdropped and, well, now we're afraid that she's struck out on her own to look for the missing horses and bring them all home safe."

"Oh, Madison," said Jonas, shaking his head. "That's just like her."

"She got that from her grandfather," said Erik, giving the man a murderous look.

"Let's not fight, okay?" said Holly, holding her hands up. "A little girl has gone missing, and we need to find her."

"You're right," said Erik. He sagged, running his hands over his hair. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to go to New Aideen's Plaza and find her," said Dorian. "And, hopefully, bring her home."

"Please do," said Holly, her eyes huge and imploring. "Bring my little girl back home."

"Ma'am, we'll do our best," said Dorian. "Well, Erik, let's find a train to New Aideen's Plaza."

"Actually, I took the buggy," said Jonas. "I'm sure your horses will be more than up to the task of pulling it along. Specially with you leaner fellers in it."

"I thought you didn't have any horses," said Dorian, frowning at Erik.

"I keep forgetting about Daisy," said Erik. "She's an old draft mare, daddy's baby."

"May I see her?" Dorian asked.

"Of course,” said Jonas. He led the way to a little stable, where a stocky little draft mare stood in a stall. She was a shaggy old thing, a bay tobiano. Dorian petted her gently, though he knew that he shouldn't get too distracted. Madison was waiting, after all, and the missing horses.

But surely, he could spend some quality time with a sweet little pony, right?


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aideen's Plaza becomes a place of reunions, and Madison just made things ten times harder...

Just as Erik and Dorian were finally leaving South Hoof, Erik’s worries over Madison having finally drawn Dorian away from the shaggy draft pony, the group of outlaws (and one deputy) were making their way towards New South Hoof. Or, more specifically, the larger town that was not awfully far from the plains.

“We stop here,” Rob announced, thinking only of the delicious cakes and ice creams that were sold at the Harp Café in New Aideen’s Plaza.

“No,” said Crystal, frowning at Rob and shaking her head. “Shouldn’t we be going to the farm where Madison lives?” She looked to Esmeralda, hoping that the woman would have more of a sensible head on her shoulders. But Esmeralda was nodding at Rob.

“I agree with Rob,” said Esmeralda. “New Aideen’s Plaza is pretty well-populated, so we’ll be able to ask around about Anwir. Besides, who says he’ll be at the farm? Normally, criminals leave the scene of the crime.”

“That’s true,” said Crystal. She straightened up in her saddle. “Alright, New Aideen’s Plaza it is.” And honestly, she wouldn’t mind being able to stretch her legs in the beautiful plaza.

New Aideen’s Plaza was a holdover from the old country, one where Aideenists came to worship their goddess. Even the fountain in the centre was adorned by a golden statue of the goddess, gazing over the plaza with wisdom in her eyes. In the old country, the legend was that a golden harp belonging to Aideen had been found in the spot where the statue and plaza was. But in the new country, of course, there was no such reasoning behind the location- there was just water here, lending the grass an emerald green hue and enabling the café to sell ice cream with enough ice to keep the frozen treat cold.

But, contrary to the fresh water and greenery, the buildings and streets were all made of sandstone and cobblestone, respectively. Crystal had to admit that this was a beautiful place, though her travelling companions both had eyes only for the café and made a beeline for it.

“Stop!” a middle-aged woman wearing a maroon dress cried, running out in front of the horses with her arms splayed out in a warding off gesture. Charra reared up with a whinny while Windwhisper pinned her ears and shuffled back a step. Crystal, a little away on her own horse, watched them with a frown on her face. The woman who’d stopped them huffed, brushing a stand of white-streaked black hair away from her face. It had sprung loose from the topknot that she had her hair tied into.

“What’s wrong?” Crystal asked, riding up before Esmeralda could give this woman a piece of her mind. She had a truly thunderous expression on her face, while Rob, too, was scowling. This woman was getting between him and his ice cream.

“No horses allowed here,” said the woman, looking quite smug. Esmeralda and Rob both rolled their eyes, while Crystal kept her eyeroll on the inside.

“Says who?” Esmeralda asked. The woman pointed to a sign on the wall of one of the buildings, white paint on wooden boards which read ‘NO HORSES ALLOWED (AUTHORITIES EXCEPTED)’.

“Is that truly the law here?” Crystal asked, deciding to dismount so as not to give the woman something else to be upset about.

“It is with me in charge,” said the woman, puffing out her chest. “The name’s Yvonne Eastcliff, and I’m the sheriff around here.”

“May I see your badge?” Crystal asked, holding her hand out. She didn’t see one on Yvonne’s person, but it was possible that it had fallen off or that the pin had broken. At her request, though, Yvonne blushed and looked down, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Actually, he’s the sheriff,” she said, pointing to a thin, older man who dozed on the steps of one building that proclaimed itself to be a museum.

“Thank you,” said Crystal, and strode over to the man. Esmeralda dismounted and joined her. Though, where Crystal gently nudged the man’s shoulder and asked him to wake up, Esmeralda delivered a swift boot to his side. Immediately, the man snorted awake, his black cowboy hat falling to the ground. Esmeralda had an amused smirk on her face while Crystal gaped first at her and then at the man who was scrambling to his feet.

“Huh, what?” the man asked, blinking his eyes blearily. He looked like he needed spectacles, not that they could help the cloudiness.

“Excuse me, sir, are you the sheriff here?” Crystal asked.

“Oh! Yes, I am,” said the man. “Walter Winterwell.” That name rung a bell, though Crystal couldn’t say where she’d heard it from before. Maybe he was descended from one of the old families from Old Jorvik.

“I’m Deputy Crystal Bluenight, here on behalf of Sheriff Dorian Wolf,” said Crystal, holding her hand out for the man to shake (which he did). “We were wondering-“

“Are horses really not allowed here?” Esmeralda asked. “Because, quite frankly, that’s pretty stupid, considering the goddess you all worship here. Weren’t horses sacred to her or something?”

“Oh, that,” said Walter. He wrung his hands together a tad nervously. “Well, that’s just what Yvonne says and, well, she’s such a strong personality that it’s hard to say no to her. It’s better to just do what she says.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” said Esmeralda. “Want me to teach the old bitch a lesson?”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary!” said Crystal, grabbing Esmeralda’s wrist before the woman could reach for her gun. “What we’re actually here for is to ask if you’ve heard of a man going by the name of Anwir?”

“Right, yes, him,” said Esmeralda, nodding and yanking her hand away from Crystal’s grip. “Brown skin, has a goatee, wears fancy clothes, any of that ringing a bell?”

“Well, no, but I did see a portly fellow in the café here this morning,” said Walter, pointing to the café. Esmeralda looked and then had to hide the delight in her eyes at the flash of red hair that had her heart immediately pounding. “He mentioned an Anwir, though he clammed up whenever anyone tried to talk to him. He was quite rude, too. Oh, and there was a bit of a kerfuffle, apparently a little girl stowed away in his wagon and tried to steal something? But then that red-haired fellow stepped in and got her out of there. He’s been there with her eating ice cream all day.”

“Thank you, we’ll go and talk to him now,” said Esmeralda, walking over to the café. “Crystal, put the horses somewhere, won’t you?”

“Why can’t Rob-“ Crystal began, but then she saw that the burly man was already at the counter, looking as excited as a child, ordering himself some ice cream. “Never mind.”

While Crystal performed the difficult task of moving the horses to a paddock that had been set up outside of the plaza, Esmeralda strode into the café and stopped at the table where the red-haired man sat with a little brown-haired girl. Esmeralda recognised both of them, of course, though her attention was solely on the handsome man with cheekbones that could cut glass.

“Hello, stranger,” Esmeralda purred, her eyes giving him a quick once-over. At the sound of her voice, Darko glanced up and his blue eyes brightened at the sight of her, his lips curling into a smile.

“Esmeralda,” said Darko. “How lovely it is to see you again.”

“Hey! Hey, Donnie! You’re not listening to me!” Madison complained. She rolled her eyes, looking up at Esmeralda. “He’s been doing that all day, it’s driving me crazy!” She tugged on her pigtails.

“Not now, sweetie, the adults are talking,” said Darko. Madison groaned and her head thudded on the table.

Esmeralda and Darko ignored this, having eyes only for each other. It had been so long since they’d seen each other, far too long. Such was the nature of a secret relationship, but oh, it was hard sometimes. So hard, especially when Darko was in disguise so it always took a second or two for Esmeralda to recognise him. But she always recognised that hair and those cheekbones and those gorgeous blue eyes, as blue as the sky. His red hair had grown out longer now, reaching past his shoulders, and Esmeralda longed to run her fingers through it. Perhaps she would, if they could sneak away for a moment.

“Horses are in the paddock,” Crystal announced, walking into the café and interrupting the moment. “And I found someone else, too.” She grinned, hooking her thumb behind her as Erik and Dorian walked into the open-air café behind her.

“Madison!” Erik cried as he saw her, running to embrace the child.

“Daddy!” Madison greeted him in turn, jumping out of her chair and wrapping her arms around him tightly. “Have you come to save Nightdust too, oh, I knew you would, I knew you’d see that we have to do the right thing! After all, you always say to do the right thing, and-“ But Erik’s stern glare cut off her words. “Daddy?”

“Madison, we are going home,” said Erik. “It’s too dangerous, especially for a little girl like you. Anwir might have dangerous men, you could get into serious danger.”

“Then Nightdust is also in serious danger!” Madison said, her blue eyes flashing as she pulled away from her father and stomped off in a huff. She stopped some distance away and folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not leaving my horse there, dad, and I’m not leaving without him!” She stomped her little foot.

“Madison, no! Do you have any idea how worried your grandfather’s been? How worried I’ve been? Madison, you caught a train on your own, anything could’ve happened to you!” Erik scolded her. But Madison only jutted out her bottom lip, tears quivering in her eyes.

“But it didn’t,” said Madison. “I’m not a baby, dad, I know what I’m doing.”

“You’re eleven years old! Aideen’s sake, girl!” Erik shouted. He reached for her but Madison darted out of his way.

“No! I’m not going home, dad, not without Nightdust!” Madison declared, already running out of the plaza. The sound of her sobs carried, and Erik folded back in on himself.

“I… no. I can’t lose her too,” said Erik, his voice weak. A few of the patrons in the café were staring at him, save for Rob, who was busy devouring his ice cream, and Dorian, who was watching the direction that Madison had gone. She’d run off to the horses.

“Well, Erik, looks like you’re in this too now,” said Esmeralda. Inwardly, she grimaced. A civilian to drag them down was the last thing they needed. Erik sighed, running his hands through his blond hair.

“I’ll go after her,” said Dorian. But not to take her home, no- he was in this for the long haul now. But, as he rounded the corner of the building behind which the paddock was located, he felt his stomach sink down to his toes as he saw Iceace disappearing with a little pink thing on her back. Shit.

“Language,” said Crystal, and Dorian realised that he’d spoken aloud.

“Sorry,” said Dorian, blushing. “I just lost my horse. Aideen knows where Madison’s going.”

“I might know,” said Darko, appearing behind them. Esmeralda stood close to him, just close enough for them to nearly touch but not so close that people would get the right idea.

“Where?” Erik asked, looking pleadingly at Darko. “Where has my little girl gone?”

“She didn’t hear it from me,” said Darko. “She eavesdropped on Carl for a good while this morning, and I know that the fool had many documents in the back of his wagon.”

“She really has gone after the horses, hadn’t she?” Erik said, deflating. Nods answered him, and Erik sighed deeply.

“I’m afraid so,” said Dorian, putting a hand on his shoulder. “And she took my horse with her.”

“Let’s tell Rob,” said Esmeralda. “Or maybe, I don’t know… us outlaws could do something to bring down Anwir.”

“I had an idea, actually,” said Darko.

“Oh? Do tell,” said Esmeralda, curiosity glimmering in her green eyes.

“I could perhaps work as a double agent,” said Darko. “Carl showed immense interest in me this morning when I dragged that little ra- er, Madison, out of his wagon. He said that his employer could use a strong man such as myself. He even gave me a small business card, should I need to contact him. Quite helpful, really.”

“Or maybe that was all from your silver tongue,” said Esmeralda before she could stop herself. Darko gave her a heated look but only a cocky smirk graced his face.

“Okay, so let’s tell Rob about the change of plans,” said Crystal, possibly sensing the tension in the air. It looked like she was about to be the only single person on this trip, but that was fine. So long as she and Erik weren’t made the third wheels, and so long as the sexual tension didn’t threaten to choke her.

Rob looked up from his ice cream when the group returned, ice cream still coating his lips like some obscure lipstick.

“Look alive, Rob, we’re moving out again,” said Crystal.

“Where?” Rob asked, licking his lips. Dorian looked away and Crystal prayed to Aideen for strength.

“I’ll lead the way,” said Darko.

“Only thing is, Madison took off on my horse,” said Dorian. “So I’m currently horseless.”

“You ride Rob,” said Rob, nodding. Esmeralda guffawed, and Dorian wondered if it were truly possible for skin to catch fire.

“He means for me to ride with him, guys, come on,” said Dorian. Oh, of all the words to leave out.

“Yeah, sure,” said Esmeralda, still laughing. Even Crystal couldn’t hide a grin, though Erik looked just as embarrassed as Dorian.

“Should we head out now or get some ice cream first?” Crystal asked.

“Much as I want to go after Madison straight away, night’s falling,” said Esmeralda. “We should stay in the inn for the night and then head out at first light. She won’t get far in the dark, surely.”

“Never say never with that kid,” said Erik with a sigh. “But you’re right, we need rest.”

“We leave at first light,” said Dorian. “I’ll see all of you in the morning.” Part of him thanked Esmeralda for the suggestion, though something told him that her suggestion hadn’t just been for the good of the group.

“Do you have any earplugs?” Crystal asked Erik as the group made their way to the inn. Erik frowned at her in confusion.

“No. Why?” Erik asked. Crystal only shook her head. It was going to be a very long night. But maybe the pillows at this inn would be thick enough to block out sound. She could only hope.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anwir's compound is located, and plans are made.

As had been suggested, at first light, the group of six assembled in the paddock outside of New Aideen's Plaza where the horses were kept. All six of them looked a little weary, though Esmeralda and Darko looked none too guilty about it. They had been the reason for it, after all. Neither Dorian nor Rob looked sheepish, so it couldn't have been them making all of that noise. Honestly, sometimes, Crystal wondered how couples could stand to be apart for longer than a few moments. And how there weren't more babies in the west.

"Alright, so, we know where we're going?" Esmeralda asked after finishing with Charra's girth. Nods answered her, to which Esmeralda beamed at them.

"Oh, and one more thing, and this is rather important," said Darko. "In order to keep up the charade, you must refer to me as Donnie."

"Yes," said Esmeralda, nodding. "We can't have anyone trying to imprison one of our very important group members."

"I'll look the other way," said Dorian. Crystal tried not to groan. Great, just when she'd thought that she'd gotten used to criminal group members, it looked like another had just been added to the bunch. Hopefully they could manage this without causing too much damage. And she could stifle the desire to give Darko a piece of her mind, to keep the peace.

"Good," said Esmeralda. "Glad we've got that sorted. Now, let's get going before Madison can manage to get herself into too much trouble."

"We're coming, Madison," Erik said. He sat in the wagon that Silvermist had been rehitched to, not just because he was afraid of horses and unused to riding, but just in case one of the horses were injured and needed to be carried back in the cart. Or so Erik claimed. Really, it was just because he didn't want to slow them down too much by being the inexperienced rider of the group. Fortunately, though, Silvermist seemed quite happy to be pulling the cart, even with her age. Though, not as happy as Rob seemed to be with Dorian sitting behind him, his arms wrapped around the burly man's middle.

The group set out, Erik and the wagon in the middle while Esmeralda and Darko flanked the sides as 'guards' while Crystal took up the rear and Rob rode ahead of the convoy and a little to the right so that Silvermist could see. Erik's chest was still tight with worry, his mind racing with thoughts of everything that could go wrong. He'd barely managed a few bites for breakfast that morning, his stomach churning too much with worry. Though the food had been delicious, a mixture of oats and fresh fruit that grew in plentiful supply here.

"Try not to die of the sexual tension," Crystal muttered. Erik ignored her, though he blushed. Even without the noise of the night before, he probably still wouldn't have been able to sleep for worry. At least Esmeralda and Darko seemed to be having a good time of it, though. He almost envied them that, but soon, he'd be back home with Madison and able to enjoy Holly's embrace once more. He just had to find his daughter first. Oh, Madison, why had she done this?

The hours seemed to pass so slowly, Erik jogging his knee impatiently as he sat up the front of the wagon. Now, he wished that he could ride, just so that he could ride in and rescue his daughter like one of the dashing and gallant knights in the fairytales that his daughter often read. Or like a cowboy, really, he guessed. But no, he'd been foolish and had been coddled by the city for far too long. Maybe his parents were right about that, after all. Maybe he should learn to ride, should learn everything he could about horses, once he got back home safely with Madison and had returned all of the horses to their proper owners. It still baffled him, honestly, that anyone could do this. That anyone could just steal so many horses and get away with it. And, well, he wasn't getting away with it, he guessed- there was a sheriff after him, and these outlaws, and a deputy. Anwir wouldn't be getting away this time, that was for sure.

But at last, a large ranch came into view. Darko rode ahead and stopped them, his fine black stallion swishing his tail as if in agitation as Darko held his hand aloft.

"We're here," said Darko. "Stay very quiet, and stay hidden. Rob and I will go ahead and pose as new recruits."

"Are you sure?" Dorian blurted before he could stop himself. He immediately cursed himself for his worry- Rob was a strong, capable man, and Dorian shouldn't be fretting about him so much. That and it was a surefire way of exposing their relationship.

"Rob sure," said Rob, turning in his saddle to face the sheriff. Though he didn't kiss him, a fact for which Dorian was equal parts glad and sad, the look that Rob gave Dorian held depths of love.

"If you're sure," said Dorian, his shoulders falling.

"Maybe we should scout out the perimeter," said Crystal. "You know, figure out how we're going to get these horses out, where the weak points are, all of that."

"Good plan," said Esmeralda, giving her a nod. "We'll work in pairs and report back here. Good luck."

"I could stay here with the horses," said Erik. Esmeralda frowned at him.

"Don't be a coward, now," said Esmeralda. "Besides, Victory will be able to keep these horses in line. Not that they look like they need much of it." And Dorian realised, with a start, that if Madison were truly here, then Iceace must have been taken in... and suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to march in there, guns blazing, and take back his precious mare.

"Yes, that's right, you're a good, reliable horse," said Darko, stroking his horse's sleek black neck. He looked like he had a little Arabian in him, just by the way he held his tail, but he was stocky, too, as if he had some Clydesdale in him. Darko turned to the group. "He actually came from here. He's strong and swift, and obedient only to me."

"Wait, you worked for them?" Dorian asked, his senses on high alert. Had trusting Esmeralda been the wrong idea?

"No," said Darko, giving a shake of his head. Esmeralda couldn't hide a smile at the way his hair swished with the movement of his head. "I merely purchased this fine steed from Anwir several months ago."

"Could I take a look at him?" Dorian asked. It probably wouldn't be safe, not with how unpredictable Victory looked, but maybe it would be okay since Darko was there.

"Before you ask if he has any kind of identifying mark, sheriff, I can assure you that I've checked him over quite thoroughly and he doesn't," said Esmeralda. "No brand, no clipping from his ear, nothing. My guess is that he was a wild stallion when Anwir found him, maybe even his first capture."

"For the price I paid, that seems likely," said Darko.

"I'd still like to check, just to make sure," said Crystal. But Darko shook his head.

"We are wasting time," said Darko. "If we must scout out the perimeter, let us do that and not delay." He dismounted, heading for the large ranch. Esmeralda joined him, Mateo padding at her heels before she directed him to run back to the horses. They couldn't risk Mateo scaring the horses on the ranch and giving away their position, after all.

As Dorian walked beside Rob, he realised that Crystal's suggestion had been for his sake. The ranch was bordered by leafy trees, possibly to hide any horses from view, providing plenty of shade and seclusion. Dorian pulled Rob into the shade of one of these large trees and leaned up to kiss him, already missing his secret boyfriend even though he'd shared a room with him only the night before. Shared a bed with him, even.

"You be careful, okay?" Dorian murmured softly to him. Rob nodded, resting his chin on top of Dorian's head.

"Rob careful," said Rob. "You careful too."

"I hope I didn't meet up with you again just to lose you," said Dorian. Rob hugged him just a little tighter, a reassuring embrace that helped bring Dorian back to New Jorvik and calm his worried thoughts. He always felt safest in Rob's arms.

The group met back up after several minutes, Esmeralda and Darko looking a little ruffled while Dorian and Rob, to their credit, didn't show any signs of their stolen kisses and embraces.

"So, it's still just us?" Darko asked, gesturing to Rob. "Nobody else wants to volunteer as a double agent?" Crystal was almost surprised to find herself stepping forward and raising her hand.

"I'll do it," said Crystal. Not that she didn't trust these men to do it but, well... Darko had openly admitted that he'd purchased a horse from Anwir so there was every possibility that his loyalties weren't true.

"You?" Darko asked, Esmeralda mirroring his surprise.

"Yes, me," said Crystal. "I may not have much of a chance to show it as deputy, but I consider myself quite the actress."

"Well, colour me surprised," said Esmeralda.

"What? Not every actress acts like they belong in a burlesque house," said Crystal. Esmeralda only shrugged, not taking offense at the jibe. She got it often enough, it didn't even hurt anymore.

"Well, perhaps you can be involved in the paperwork," said Darko. Crystal glared at him. She'd show him that she wasn't as sedentary as she looked- she could ride a horse as well as anyone. The men could do the grunt work, she intended to be in the middle of the action.

"Good luck," said Erik as Crystal, Darko, and Rob assembled together in front of the horses.

"I thank you for the warm wishes, though I feel confident that we, as many say, have got this," said Darko.

"Rob get horses," said Rob. "Rob get Iceace." And Dorian couldn't hide the beaming grin that split his face at that promise.

"So, what’s the plan?" Crystal asked as she walked between the two men. She felt like she was in charge, a fact that secretly thrilled her. Finally, she had her own adventure to go on, she was helping her town in he best way that she could. She wasn't a little barmaid anymore, now, she was Crystal Bluenight, Deputy of New Jorvik.

"I shall apply for the job of guard. That is what Carl suggested to me yesterday when I grabbed that little bra- er, girl from his wagon. Perhaps Rob could do the grunt work? Seeing as that is what he seems to spend most of his time doing,” said Darko.

"Rob strong," said Rob, the insult seemingly flying over his head. Until he 'accidentally' shoved into Darko, anyway. Crystal stifled a giggle, not wanting Darko to direct that burning glare at her too.

"Hey now, don't fight," said Crystal as Darko shoved Rob back. It didn't move the burlier man at all, though, to which Rob guffawed.

"And what will you pose as?" Darko asked. Crystal lifted her chin.

"Why, a rider, of course," said Crystal. "Those horses need exercise, after all, and to get used to a rider." And, if she must, she supposed that she could flirt her way to more information. It was all part of the act, after all. But her reasoning was that, by posing as a rider, she'd be right in amongst all of the horses and would know which ones came from New Jorvik and which came from further afield.

"A wise decision," said Darko, nodding. But they stopped talking as the gates of the ranch came in sight. They were huge, imposing metal things, the tops of the fences (hidden by the trees, of course) tipped with curls of barbed wire. Nobody would be getting in or out aside from through the gates, as they had already surmised from their earlier check of the perimeter. But the fences could be cut with the right pair of bolt cutters, and there was enough foliage to cover up any holes. In trying to be discrete, it seemed that Anwir had neglected to consider security. But that could only work in their favour. He didn't even have any patrolling guards, at least not on the outside.

So confident were they that none of them seemed to consider that perhaps this could well be a trap. After all, with no guards and how easy it had been to get in, wasn't that a little too easy?


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is underway, though it isn't in any way pleasant.

The front gates to Anwir's compound hadn't looked quite so big or imposing when the group had done their scouting of the area. But now, looking up at them, Crystal felt anxiety tugging at her guts. Yet she still stood with her hands on her hips as she gazed up at the metallic gates. It looked different and ugly, this huge metal thing out in the middle of the west. Unnatural.

"Well, now what?" Crystal asked. Nobody had intercepted them when they'd been scouting the perimeter, after all, and nobody was coming to the gates now. Without preamble, Darko pulled his gun from the holster at his hip and fired into the air three times. It was almost enough to break Crystal's composure, though Rob only frowned at Darko. "Warn a girl!"

"That would ruin the surprise," said Darko with a smirk as he reholstered his gun. "And look- it worked." And, sure enough, three men clad in white jackets were walking towards them, visible through the chainlink.

"Who goes there?" one of the men barked. He was quite burly, as were the two other men with him.

"Greetings, gentlemen," Darko began, but Crystal barged forward, shoving Darko out of the way.

"We're looking for work," said Crystal. "I'm interested in training the fine horses that you produce, Donnie here would like to offer his services as a guard, and Rob may not say much but look at him- he's all muscle." She gestured to each man with her thumb as she mentioned him by name, to which both men nodded.

"How'd you find out about us, lady?" the guard asked, frowning. One of his fellow guards elbowed him in the ribs, though.

"Mark, you moron, you're not supposed to acknowledge that this is a business!" his fellow guard chastised him.

"Right, forgot," said Mark, rubbing the back of his head. The second guard sighed.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag now," said the second guard. "Come on, we'll take you to meet the boss." He stepped forward and unlocked the padlock that held the gates shut, pulling the chain off with a clanking noise before he pulled one gate open for the three to step through.

The three guards led the trio into the compound, leaving them at an office that was constructed of the same ugly metal that the rest of the compound was made of.

"Boss!" the second guard called, knocking on the door. "We got guests!"

The door opened, revealing a man with skin the colour of cocoa and a fine goatee that put many men to shame. He looked really quite handsome, but Crystal knew what he'd done and wasn't falling for his tricks. He also exactly matched Madison's description, confirming that the other descriptions of him were true. Here was the man behind the disappearance of many horses. Crystal loathed him on sight.

"Guests?" Anwir drawled in a smooth voice. "I was not expecting guests, but do come in. Barry, Fred, stay here."

"What about me, boss?" Mark asked as the rest filed into the building, which looked like an office that Crystal had heard of the big city having. She much preferred Sherriff Dorian's wood-panelled office, herself. It looked distinctly more homey than this place with its carpeted floor, pale walls, and framed photographs of horses and awards everywhere. There were even some newspaper clippings of horse race winnings. One proclaimed that a jockey named Anwir had won ten successive races.

"You are on mucking duty, Mark, for mucking up a perfectly good day," said Anwir, his gaze flinty. Mark lowered his head, muttering apologies as he walked out the door. Crystal heard him muttering about wanting to know what one should do when a man fired shots into the air at the front gate, and resisted the strong urge to smile.

"Good day to you, Mr Anwir, I presume?" asked Darko, holding one elegant gloved hand out. Anwir looked at the hand as if it were something disgusting before he took a seat behind his desk.

"Yes, though I wonder how it was that you came to know of me," said Anwir. But he frowned, examining Darko with closer scrutiny. "Wait a minute... are you the man who I sold Victory to?"

"I am indeed," said Darko, nodding. "He is a fine horse. Though, one of your workers, Carl, met me yesterday, he is the one who gave me your business card." He set the piece of card down on the desk, which Anwir snatched up and examined.

"So he did," said Anwir. He looked at Darko. "However, Carl neglected to mention you."

"Understandable, a lot of things happened yesterday," said Darko.

"Indeed. Carl told me about that little pink brat who tried to stop me from... collecting new stock on South Hoof," said Anwir, clenching his hand into a fist. "Though I have to wonder, what brings the three of you to my estate?" Crystal had to resist the urge to laugh. This place looked more like a prison, especially on the inside. The only greenery that existed was the trees that screened the place from view.

"We came seeking employment," said Crystal. "After Carl suggested that Donnie get a job as a guard here, my friend Rob and I overheard and decided to join him."

"And what, pray tell, are your qualifications?" Anwir asked, leaning back in his seat and tenting his fingers together.

"I know my way around a horse, Donnie is excellent at dealing with undesirables and not afraid to use a gun, and Rob has the muscles to prove his physical strength," said Crystal. "What do you say? Will you take us on?" She tried to channel Esmeralda, going for confident rather than sultry. She wanted nothing to do with this man, least of all to end up in his sheets.

"Hmm. I suppose that I could give you a trial," Anwir mused, stroking his chin. He nodded. "Yes, I will do that. And what is your name, my lady?"

"Crystal," said Crystal, hoping that Anwir wouldn't recognise her as the deputy of New Jorvik. Hopefully he spent so much time here or out stealing horses that he didn't take the time to get to know local authorities, least of all the law enforcement in a sleepy little town like New Jorvik.

"Alright then. Fred, take Crystal to the stables, there are some horses there who need to be exercised. Barry, you take Rob to the barn, I know that hay needs to be moved. And as for you, Donnie... perhaps you can show Mark how guarding is really done," said Anwir, pointing to the respective people. That done, he leaned back in his chair, a smirk growing on his face as the three left the room. He wasn't stupid- he knew a motley crue of heroes when he saw one. And if one little girl couldn't stop him, well, three do-gooders wouldn't have a chance.

Crystal felt confident as she followed Fred out of Anwir's office and down a cement path to a very large building. The scent of horses was more like a reek, and she covered her nose with her hand, feeling like some kind of fancy lady. The stench was overpowering, did anyone ever clean out the stables? But then the stable door was opened and Crystal found herself gagging, bending over to empty her breakfast into a handy nearby bush. She shuddered, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand and spitting on the ground. But the sound was what brought tears to her eyes, the sound of many horses in pain or fear, neighing and whinnying and stomping. She knew the sound of a happy herd, and this herd most certainly was not.

"Yeah, that happens the first few times," said Fred. "You get used to it."

"How?" Crystal asked. "Did the stench kill your sense of smell?" Fred laughed, shaking his head.

"Come on, I'll show you where the tack room is and take you through things," said Fred.

As Crystal followed Fred through the stables, she recognised a few of the horses. There was Goldmist, Louisa's beloved steed, missing for a few weeks now. The white patches on his coat were duller now, filthied by dirt and dust, but he was definitely the same warmblood stallion. He stood almost protectively near a pale fjord mare, one who would probably look beautiful were her coat clean and her mane and tail not matted. A little further down was Bartok, his once-white coat now almost black while his proud head hung low. Next to him, the actually-black Hieronymo looked dull and listless. Saga looked different, though, standing in a stall on her own. If the stalls could even be called that, they looked more like cages. Jail cells, complete with metal bars and only a thin, filthy covering of straw for the horses to stand on. But Saga looked bright, alert, half her age. She almost looked like a different breed entirely.

But then, Fred was taking Crystal away from the horses and into the tack room, pointing out which bridle to use for which horse, which saddle to use and saddle pad, where the spurs and crops were located. Crystal felt a little ill looking at the spurs, but she supposed that they might be necessary on some of the horses that this place produced. She could only pray that she wouldn't need to do that for too long.

Elsewhere in the compound, Darko had mounted the watchtower (unnoticed behind the trees, though it provided a good view of the surrounding area aside from under the trees) and was surveying the area from above. The blindspot under the trees could definitely be exploited, though the area was laid out fairly well. There was a large paddock to one end, presumably for exercising the horses, where the fence could possibly be cut through if one were discrete enough about it. There was still the problem, however, of achieving that. Perhaps a distraction was in order, one that Darko could definitely provide.

Rob had done his fair share of smuggling, so his eyes were alert for everything that could be used as a potential hiding place for either humans or the means for escape. Such as, for example, a pair of bolt cutters that could cut through a chain link fence. It was a fairly standard-issue fence, nothing fancy, rather easy to cut through when all was said and done. But first, he had to acquire a pair of bolt cutters.

"So, you're Rob, huh?" Barry asked. Rob grunted and nodded.

"Rob is Rob," said Rob. Barry smirked at him, a look that Rob was quite familiar with. But he was never offended by it- let others think little of him. They'd just be more surprised when he inevitably showed them up.

"I Barry," said Barry, lowering his voice and pointing to his chest with his thumb. "I are human." Rob scowled, looking away and wondering if he could 'accidentally' cause Barry to trip over.

Fortunately, though, Rob was able to tune out Barry's taunts on his way to the shed where many tools were kept. Rob's eyes widened, which he allowed to happen. It was part of the act, and it was pretty hard to stop. He'd never seen so many high-quality tools in one place before. Bolt cutters, rolls of wire, every tool that one would need for fencing. Even some dangerous-looking sticks of dynamite.

"I'm not sure what Anwir wants you to do, really," said Barry, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I'm guessing it'll be mostly work on the grounds. Lawn upkeep, if you can call this dustpit a lawn, moving hay bales, all that fun stuff. Hey, you might even get to muck some stalls if we're really lucky." He laughed as he clapped Rob on the back. Rob gave him a side-eye that Barry probably didn't notice, not that he minded either way. The stupider they thought he was, the easier it would be to fool them when the time came.

At last, Barry led Rob to another large building, this one resembling a barn if a barn were made of metal. From dirt floor to rafters, the barn was stacked full of hay bales. Rob almost sneezed at all of the dust in the air, but he was mostly just glad for the pleasant, natural scent for once. It smelled like the barn at Dorian's, where he'd hidden out a few times back when he and Rob had first gotten to know each other. A smile touched his lips at the pleasant memories, how Dorian hiding him from the law had gradually developed into Dorian looking the other way and developing a fondness for him.

"Right," said Barry, drawing Rob from pleasant memories of rolling around in hay lofts and kissing amid straw bales. "We need someone to throw hay bales up into the loft. We could use ladders but that's so much work and if we've got the manpower, well, why not?" He clapped Rob on the shoulder. "Get to work and I'll be back to check up on you shortly."

Rob watched the man leave, glad to see him go. Then, he turned to one of the smaller piles of hay bales and hooked his fingers through the twine that held it together. He'd done this so often and hauled so much stuff now that he barely felt the strain in his muscles as he hefted the bale and tossed it up into the hayloft. It was a fair distance, but the hay bale landed and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. But there was a noise along with it.

"Hey!” a small, girly voice called. Rob gaped, his mouth actually falling open in shock as his eyes widened. Quickly, he sought out the ladder, set it against the edge of the hayloft, and scaled it, praying that the bottom of the ladder wouldn't slip on the hay-strewn floor. But thankfully, it held steady, and Rob managed to get up to the hayloft with no dramas. What he saw there surprised him, though. There sat a little girl, one wearing mostly pink, hay caught in her light brown hair which was pulled up in two pigtails.

"Madison?" Rob asked. So that was where she'd gotten to.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smaller group come together to form a plan.

Anwir's compound did have a lunch break, to Crystal's relief, and it was mostly unsupervised. Anwir's men all left to convene in what she could only assume was a commonual mess hall of sorts, telling the new workers only that they had to be back to work in half an hour. Crystal stepped outside of the stable, gulping in fresh air for what felt like the first time in days. She'd been hard at work feeding and watering and mucking all morning, and she was beginning to wonder if the stench of the place was firmly imprinted on her nostrils and in her skin. She hoped it wasn't.

But, before Crystal had gone more than a few steps, she was almost crashed into by Rob, who had a small someone in front of him.

"Hey, watch where you're- Rob?" Crystal asked. She looked down, and her eyes widened. "Madison?"

"We talk inside?" Rob asked in a hushed voice, pointing. Crystal really didn't want to go back into the stable but, well, maybe it was unpleasant enough that people would avoid the area. And maybe the sound of the horses would cover up their conversation. So Crystal nodded begrudgingly, standing aside while Rob and Madison entered the stable. Madison immediately began crying, which broke Crystal's heart, but Darko was already hurrying towards them.

"Dear gods, does nobody clean this place?" Darko asked, covering his nose with his hand.

"I've been working at it all morning," said Crystal. "But I'm beginning to suspect that the only solution will be to burn the place to the ground."

"We will as soon as we get the horses out," said Madison, her gaze flinty. Her eyes were still red and streaming with tears, but after the initial upset, she was angry.

"Well, unfortunately, metal doesn't burn quite as well as wood," said Darko. "It does make things significantly more difficult, too. This whole place is a monstrosity of metal."

"It looks unnatural," Crystal agreed. "Dorian would hate it here. But let's talk in the tack room, the smell isn't as bad there." She'd spent some time cleaning and oiling the tack in there, if only so that there would be a better smell. Unlike the rest of the stable, the tack room now smelled only of tack, with just the faintest odour of the stable.

"Let's check in," said Darko. "Crystal, what have you discovered in your short time here?"

"You mean other than the fact that they clearly don't clean out their stables? Not much," said Crystal. "Though I hesitate to even call this a stable, what with the stalls looking more like cells."

"It's like they're in jail," said Madison, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I couldn't find your Nightdust either, sweetie," said Crystal, leaning down and placing a hand on Madison's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Madison, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. Her face looked muddy when she did that, thanks to the tears mixing with the dust on her face. "I didn't tell you what he looked like. He's a black pony."

"Okay, thank you," said Crystal, nodding. "In that case, no, the only black horse I've seen is Tan's horse Hieronymo."

"Did you see the horse I rode in on, Dorian's horse?" Madison asked. "I tried to hide her in the barn but she walked out from behind the hay bales and one of those stupid men took her."

"No," said Crystal, her heart dropping into her stomach. She hadn't even looked for the chestnut mare.

"I hope she's with Nightdust helping him," said Madison, hugging herself. "She's the sheriff's horse, she must be helpful like her rider."

"I hope so," said Crystal. "Anyway, that's all I've been doing. What about you two?" She looked to the two men.

"I found out stuff too," said Madison, butting in.

"Not now, sweetie, adults are talking," said Darko, placing a hand atop Madison's head. Madison scowled and stomped on his foot, to which he swore softly and glared at her.

"Children," said Crystal, frowning. Darko grumbled about how he wasn't a child, very much sounding like one. "Madison, you can tell us everything later, we're just a little pressed for time at the moment so we need to talk fast."

"Fine," said Madison with a huff. "Then talk fast."

"This place is almost like a fortress," said Darko. "Your assessment of it being prison-like is not far from the truth, Crystal- by all accounts, this looks more like a prison than a ranch. Is there any paper around here?" He searched the cupboards but Crystal shook her head.

"Not that I could find," said Crystal.

"Rob not find paper," said Rob. Darko sighed, finding a dusty cupboard and walking over to it. It wasn't the first time he'd drawn a map in less-than-ideal form.

The place was set out rather close together- all of the buildings joined by a few paths, with the stable up one end adjoining a large paddock for the horses to be exercised in. There was a strange building attached to the left side of the paddock, though, one half the size of the paddock.

"What's that?" Crystal asked, pointing and making sure to keep her finger from touching the dust.

"I don't know," said Darko. "I asked one of my fellow guards, but he brushed me off. I don't think he knows what it is either. But I saw some people coming and going from there." Madison looked like she was about to explode, but Crystal turned to Rob next.

"Rob, do you know?" Crystal asked. Rob shook his head.

"Rob know equipment shed and barn," said Rob, pointing them out on the map. Crystal half-expected his large finger to jab at the map, destroying the carefully-drawn lines in the dust, but his finger hovered over it as hers had.

"Alright, Madison, before you explode," said Crystal, turning to her. Madison gasped in air, as though she'd been holding her breath, and it all came out in a rush.

"I know that shed," said Madison, her voice thankfully low. "I saw it when I was watching them take Dorian's horse away. I followed them, I'm very sneaky, I learned it from a spy book that daddy let me read." She shook her head. "Focus, Madison, focus, remember what daddy told you." She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing before continuing again. "I followed them in there, and I found some horses. There weren't many, though. But the men in there were with Anwir and there was that stupid man number two and they had these weird stick things and one of them stabbed Nighdust with one and then he started acting really funny and then when I tried to talk to him he wouldn't listen to me and I don't know what happened to him but it's like he's a different horse entirely." And Madison broke down, sobbing into her hands.

"Shh, hey, it's okay," said Crystal, taking Madison into her arms. She stroked the girl's hair, feeling her shaking from more than just sobs.

"Spy work seemed so much cooler in the books," Madison cried. "They never said how hungry it was or how scary or dirty and I just wanna go home with my horse."

"And you will," said Crystal, her heart breaking for this little girl. "You will go home, Madison, I promise. And we'll take all the horses with us too."

Though Darko tried to act aloof, internally, his heart broke for this little girl. She was just trying to be a big, brave hero, and she hadn't realised how hard it was going to be. More than that, she was just a little girl, and he hated to see her cry. If he ever had a child with Esmeralda, which a large part of him wanted more than anything, he would do anything to harm the ones who dared make his child cry like that.

"And burn this place down in our wake, metal walls or not," Darko vowed. Madison grinned, her eyes lighting up.

"See, Donnie, I knew you had a heart," said Madison. "And I have something that might just make this go a little easier. I'll show Rob later, if he's still working in the barn."

"Rob stay barn," said Rob, nodding. "Workers think Rob stupid. Rob not stupid." He grinned. Crystal believed him.

"Good," said Crystal, nodding. "And I'll figure out how to get the horses out of here."

"What if we set off a bomb?" Madison asked. Darko laughed. A girl after his own heart.

"Let's not be too rash, now," said Crystal. "Maybe a security scare would work? Or I could 'accidentally' leave some doors open..."

The group of them discussed plans for the remainder of the lunch break, over some bread rolls and cold meat that Rob had smuggled out of the kitchen for them. Darko didn't have the heart to tell him that the kitchen was open for everyone to get food so it wasn't really technically smuggling. Let him have his fun.

But, all too soon, some of Anwir's men trudged into the stable, loudly calling that lunch break was over and to get back to work. Madison hid under the table before sneaking out with Rob, hiding behind his bulk. Darko left with him, leaving Crystal to deal with the horses. She really hoped that she wouldn't be on mucking duty all day.

Back in the barn, Rob watched Madison climb up hay bales like a little pink spider until she reached the loft. Once there, she gestured to him, holding the top of the ladder still so that Rob could climb up after her. He sat, almost having to hunch over so that his head wouldn't hit the roof. But Madison crawled away, gesturing Rob closer until he found himself looking behind some strategically-placed hay bales. He could only imagine how much effort it would have taken Madison to move these silently. But there was a little cubby of sorts here with a little blanket, some hay piled up to act as a pillow (Madison explained that she used her skirt to cover the hay when she went to sleep), a little spy novel that Rob was pretty sure was for adults, a notebook with pink covering, and-

"Where find these?" Rob asked, picking up the pair of bolt cutters.

"I found them in that storage shed you said you worked in," said Madison, grinning. She kept her voice low, leaning close to him to talk. "They don't even know they're gone. Wait, they didn't mention anything to you, did they?"

"No," said Rob, shaking his head. Madison giggled.

"Anwir's guards deserve the name I gave them," said Madison. "Stupid-heads." Rob snickered, though his eyes quickly went back to his bolt cutters. They looked like they could definitely cut through chain link, though they might have a harder time on padlocks.

"These work?" Rob asked. Madison huffed, folding her arms over her chest and scowling.

"I don't know," said Madison. "I tried cutting through the fence last night but it didn't work. Maybe I'm just not strong enough." Rob was willing to believe that.

"Rob try," said Rob. Though that begged the question- where would any of them be sleeping that night? Surely, Anwir must have living quarters for his men considering there was a mess hall. But he decided to put that question to the back of his mind for now. He needed to earn his keep first, prove to Anwir that he was loyal.

That night, by the light of the moon that filtered dimly into the barn, Madison wrote in her diary that she'd banded together with a deputy, a pirate, and a 'bad man who is actually nice' in the hopes of saving Nightdust and all of the horses. She even drew little stick figures of herself in her trademark skirt and pigtails, Crystal with a little star on her chest and a cowboy hat on her head, Rob with a little pirate hat on and a parrot on his shoulder (she'd also read some pirate books), and Darko with his long hair and long coat. All of them were smiling except for Darko, who had a frown on his face.

And then, while the others tried to settle into the sleeping quarters that they'd been assigned with Anwir's men, Madison tucked her diary under her 'pillow', closed her eyes, and dreamed of a horse with a coat that shone and glittered like the night sky.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best laid plans...

Anwir barely let the sun kiss the horizon before he set his workers to work. Darko was sent directly to the watch tower, where he wondered how the guards hadn't seen them before. Unless the guards were blind or incredibly stupid. They hadn't exactly shown themselves to be all that bright, at least, not the ones that Darko had been in contact with, but he wasn't about to let his guard down.

He let a decent amount of time pass before Darko made his move. Clearing his throat, he approached his fellow guard, Max, who'd been lazing about in the tower. Darko wouldn't have been surprised if he'd found a deck of cards in the man's hands. He didn't doubt that Max played cards with another guard.

"What is it? Did you see something?" Max asked, looking up at Darko. He squinted his eyes as the sun was directly behind Darko.

"No," said Darko. "Though, I can't help but wonder if I might find more from the ground. I could perhaps control the perimeter." The idea had come to him after spending the whole day in the watchtower the day before, seeing that nobody was patrolling the fences.

"Huh, now that's not a bad idea," said Max. "You're a thinker, Donnie, I like that. You can patrol the perimeter, since you thought of it."

"Very well, then," said Darko. He tried not to appear too enthused, grumbling to himself slightly as he climbed down from the watchtower and made his way over to the fence. But inwardly, he was relieved, a secret smile curling his lips. So the guards here truly were as stupid as he had hoped and assumed.

But Darko quickly turned his mind to examining the fences as he walked past them. They looked plenty sturdy, though the trees hadn't been maintained at all, not that he was surprised by that. If the workers here were too stupid to patrol the perimeter, they definitely wouldn't be able to lop off some branches or do the basic things of maintaining a garden. Even the scant patches of lawn between the paths was yellowed and filled with native plants growing through. It looked really quite pathetic, though Darko wasn't much of a green thumb himself. But he still would never let his secret hideaway with Esmeralda look like this.

In some places, Darko quickly discovered, the fence had begun to rust, thanks to the water and the sap from the trees. For the most part, it was too high up to smuggle horses and humans through, though Darko briefly considered the possibility of using these rust patches as a starting point to cut through. That would be a last resort, though, if they couldn't find a better place.

Darko did notice, however, that he couldn't see much from the inside of the fence. Certainly, if there were people walking around the outside of the fence, he wouldn't be able to see them. So they definitely hadn't been spotted the day before, then. That was good. He couldn't see any horses on his walk, however he did hear them when he passed the stable. Though, like yesterday, he smelled the horses well before he got in sight of the stable. If nothing else, he hoped that Crystal would be able to clean out the stables before they were caught or managed to get out.

Just as Madison had said, Darko heard more horses in the strange building. They sounded terrible, though, harsh whinnies and even some squeals that were unnatural coming from a horse outside of battle. A few times on his way past the strange building (which he didn't look in, not wanting to seem suspicious), Darko flinched at the sound of hooves colliding with the metal wall of the building. At least that explained why things here were made of metal. And certainly, Victory was quite the fierce stallion. He'd kicked through quite a few stable doors and paddock fences before Darko had managed to build ones that were suitable. He was quite the picky stallion, all things considered.

Rob was used to waking early, either because he was conducting illegal activities or because he was escaping into the predawn light before anyone could see him with Dorian. So he was wide awake as he walked through the compound, following Jerry, another of the workers there.

"Boss wants you to do some repairs today," said Jerry, stifling a yawn with his hand. "One of the, er... workers broke something during the night." Rob nodded, seeing right through his lies.

"Rob fix," said Rob. "Where break?"

To Rob's disappointment, rather than leading him directly to the mysterious building towards the back of the compound, Jerry led him to the stables, where a door was hanging half off its hinges. Crystal was already at work, grumpily sorting through the feed that had been broken into.

"Something stolen?" Rob asked. Crystal shook her head, the circles under her eyes as dark as the coat of Darko's horse.

"No, just a greedy guts," said Crystal with a sigh, pointing to a buckskin connemara gelding who stood in the middle of the feed room chewing on something.

"Ah," said Rob, seeing the imprints of horseshoes splintering the wood of the broken door. He wondered if this horse had been worked on yet, but he looked normal, just mischievous. Crystal glanced around, then beckoned Rob closer.

"That's Lynx, Maya's cousin's horse, from Moorland," Crystal whispered. She'd recognised him at once, and hadn't been surprised at all to learn that he was the reason for her extra-early awakening. She calmed herself with the thought that this would probably be the last time that she had to awaken early. She could have a nice, long sleep in once she was home safe with all of the horses. Of course, she wanted to save the horses too, but right at that moment, she would have traded everything she owned for an extra hour or two tucked up in bed.

As a result of the early start, the day seemed long, dragging its feet like a stubborn horse. But at last, the workers overseeing Crystal informed her that it was lunchtime with loud whoops of delight and much tearing off of gloves. Crystal remained behind, saying that she wanted to clean up a bit more and finish scrubbing the stubborn stains out of a stall. And she did just that until Darko strode in, his coat flapping about his heels. All he was missing was a bolt of lightning and clap of thunder.

"Well, you're dedicated to your ruse," said Darko as Crystal stood, brushing her hands on her jeans.

"Whether or not we succeed, these horses deserve good living quarters," said Crystal, shaking her head. "I hate that they have to live like this, but if I can't take away their bars, I can at least take away the mess."

"Have they had you training any of the horses yet?" Darko asked.

"Nope," said Crystal with another shake of her head. She headed into the tack room again, which was still the nicest-smelling place in here despite her best efforts. "Maybe they don't trust me yet, or they're just trying to get the stalls clean first."

"Some initiative might go a long way," said Darko. "I mentioned to the guard working with me that patrolling the perimeter would be a good idea. He agreed, and I managed to do some snooping."

"Wait until Rob gets here," said Crystal. "And Madison, if she's coming." But even as she spoke, she heard the sound of the stable doors being unlatched, followed by the familiar patter of Madison's shoes against the tiled floor of the stable. Crystal suspected that the only reason the floor wasn't metal was because it would rust too easily. Rob was right on Madison's heels, probably having fetched her.

As per usual, Madison was bouncing on her feet when she entered the room. She was grinning from ear to ear, too, which lifted Crystal's spirits.

"Well, what have we learned since yesterday?" Crystal asked once she'd closed the door. She'd still be able to hear if anyone entered the stable, though, but even still, the men who worked here all gathered together in the main mess hall for lunch.

"Well," Madison said, jumping in before anyone else could. "I have a little hideout in the barn, Rob found it. I have my diary and some other important things and a pair of boltcutters. I couldn't manage to cut through the fence with them, though, but Rob looks strong."

"Rob strong," Rob confirmed, nodding. "Rob fix feed room door."

"You did a great job on that too, by the way," said Crystal, smiling at him. "Thanks for helping me get Lynx back in his stall, too." She definitely wouldn't have been able to manage that herself, Lynx was a stubborn brute who wouldn't be moved by one person alone.

"Rob like helping," said Rob. "Lynx naughty." Crystal laughed. That was an understatement if she'd ever heard one.

"I also have news," said Darko. "I convinced the guard with me to allow me to do a perimeter check, as I told you, Crystal. It is as we suspected- guards do not usually patrol the perimeter. The trees are overgrown, and I am willing to bet that the fence is weaker in some places where the trees are thicker." He explained about the rust and Rob hummed thoughtfully.

"Rob garden?" Rob asked. Madison nodded eagerly.

"You could mention your concerns about the trees, I could show them how much of a security risk it is," said Madison. "I'm good at climbing trees." She grinned, clearly delighted with herself.

"That could work," said Crystal, nodding. "Rob and Madison, you can do that. Darko, fire a few shots at Madison but don't hit her. I'll ask Michael if I can go onto training or at least exercising horses today. Maybe I can use the excuse that Lynx needs some exercise and then he'll quieten down tonight."

"Is it truly an excuse if it were the truth?" Darko asked. Madison laughed.

"You risk life for mission?" Rob asked. Though he might not know Lynx well or at all, he'd still seen those marks in the door.

"If nothing else, it might be a good distraction while Rob cuts through the fence," said Crystal. "I'll be the distraction on one side, Madison will be the distraction on the other side, and Rob can find a place hidden by greenery." Rob nodded.

"Good luck," said Darko.

"We don't need luck, we've got this," said Madison.

"But thank you anyway," said Crystal. "Now, let's see what they served up for lunch today."

The plan made, the group fell to eating as they had the day before, only today, they had more of a concrete direction to go in. And when they left, all four of them felt some degree of nerves. But Crystal tried not to let it show as she approached Michael after lunch.

"What is it?" Michael asked.

"So I was thinking," said Crystal. "Since Lynx seems to be in a feisty mood, maybe he might calm down a little if he gets some exercise? Y'know, tucker him out so he sleeps." Michael hummed thoughtfully, his brow furrowed.

"That's a good idea, actually," said Michael. "We don't have any riders here so we never thought of it before." Crystal nodded, though internally, she wondered how a horse facility could possibly operate without any riders.

Lynx seemed only too eager to get outside, making it difficult for Crystal to tack him up, but finally, she managed to get his saddle, bridle, and saddle pad on, and hauled herself up into the saddle. Lynx pranced in place, causing Crystal to cling tightly to the reins so that she wouldn't fall off. But fortunately, Michael pulled the doors open right in time for Lynx to bolt out with Crystal on his back.

"Lynx!” Crystal screamed. This was why she preferred her North Swedish, thank you very much. Lynx plunged and bucked, twisting and doing his utmost to throw her off. But Crystal held on, cursing him with every fibre of her being.

Crystal's scream almost made Madison fall out of the tree that she was scaling, but that was part of the plan, too.

"Hey!" Darko cried, running towards her, his coat flapping behind him. He fired a few shots which disappeared into the sky above Madison, missing her by a wide margin, and Madison yelped and continued to climb the tree like a little monkey. The shots, in turn, frightened the horses, especially Lynx, who began to spin in circles in between bouts of running around the paddock.

While all of this was happening, Rob took the opportunity to fit the boltcutters to the chainlink fence. He put pressure on them, squeezing and straining, and succeeded in snapping one of the links. This was much harder than it seemed, but maybe he could chip away at it.

Three things happened all at once. Lynx finally succeeded in unseating Crystal, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud and an oof. Madison fell from the tree on the other side of the fence, where she crouched in the shade, hoping that she looked like a very large pink flower. Darko reholstered his guns, cursing that Madison had gotten away. And Rob stared up into the cold brown gaze of Mr Anwir.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cavalry gathers, ready for the second attack.

Dorian knew that something was wrong when he saw a little pink thing running towards him across the dusty ground at full pelt. She skidded to a stop in front of their little group, who’d sheltered under a copse of trees a small distance from the compound.

“Madison?” Dorian asked, eyes wide as he took in her dishevelled appearance. There were leaves in her hair, and one ponytail had come almost completely loose. “What’s happened, what’s wrong?”

“They got caught!” Madison sobbed, throwing her arms around Dorian. Immediately, Dorian felt something cold wash over him. No. No, that couldn’t have happened. How could this have happened? Rob was so smart, as was Crystal, and Esmeralda had been speaking Darko’s praises. Apparently, Darko only got caught if he wanted to get caught. But why would he have wanted to get caught? It just didn’t make sense!

“No,” said Esmeralda, walking quickly over to Dorian and Madison. She looked down at Madison, bending down and placing her hands on the little girl’s shoulders. “What happened, is Darko okay?”

“You mean Donnie?” Madison asked. Esmeralda nodded, her green gaze hooked tight to Madison’s blue one. “I think he should be okay, they shouldn’t suspect him, he was shooting at me.”

“Shoo-“ Erik looked like he was about to faint as he stumbled over to his daughter. He’d just stepped away for one moment to relieve himself, and now Madison was back and she’d been shot at?

“Oh, hi daddy,” said Madison. But her next words were cut off in a squeak as Erik crushed her small body to his chest in a tight hug.

“Madison! Oh, are you okay? I’ve been so worried!” said Erik, pulling away a little and staring at her through teary eyes.

“I’m fine, daddy,” said Madison, struggling to get away. She looked rather like a cat trying to escape from an unwanted embrace. “It was all part of the plan, see, I’d make an escape attempt and Darko would pretend to try to shoot me down. But none of them hit me, honest. See, I’d show you if you let me go!” She wriggled, face creased in annoyance. But at last Erik let her go, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her. She looked a little dirty, a little pale, a little hungry, but otherwise she looked fine. Erik wept at the sight of it, holding his daughter to him again, but not so tightly this time.

“And Rob? Crystal?” Dorian asked, saying the names perhaps a little too closely together. But Erik was far too concerned about his daughter, and Esmeralda had already guessed it.

“Well, Crystal was having a ‘great’ time with Lynx,” said Madison, making the quotation marks with her fingers. “And I saw something happening over near where Rob was after I got out.” Dorian tried to keep his face composed. No. Not Rob. He was always so careful, how had he messed up now? How could he have possibly messed up? Rob, the man who was the king of sneaking around, the king of smuggling things, the king of getting himself out of a tight scrape, how could he have possibly been captured by Anwir?

“Tell me everything,” said Dorian, trying to focus on facts and not let his emotions show or overrule his judgement.

And so Madison told them, as they sat in the wagon under the shade of the tree. While Madison spoke, she sipped at a canteen of water and nibbled on some simple bread that Dorian had cooked over their campfire. And she watched their faces change, Erik looking more horrified, Esmeralda nodding and smiling at the clever ideas, and Dorian nodding and making mental notes. Anything to take his mind away from the fact that Rob was probably even now in the hands of the enemy, having who knew what done to him. He was a man of few enough words as it was, what if Anwir thought that Rob was being smart or glib? But no. No. He couldn’t think like that, couldn’t freak out as Erik had done and was still doing. He had to stay strong, maintain the ruse that there was nothing between him and Rob. Hopefully Crystal wouldn’t be questioned, though he knew that she was a good liar. She’d seen her fair share of tough situations as well, she’d be fine.

“Alright,” said Dorian, nodding after everything had been explained. “I’m going in.”

“Me too,” said Esmeralda, already checking her guns. Mateo stood from where he’d been lying in the shade under the wagon and stretched at Esmeralda’s feet, yawning.

“Can I come back in?” Madison asked, her blue eyes lighting up.

“Madison, no!” said Erik, frowning and squeezing her shoulders with his fingers. “You barely escaped with your life, you’re not going back in there!” Madison glared at him, eyes flashing, and pulled away.

“I’m not going home without Nightdust, daddy!” Madison declared, stomping her foot. “It was awful in there, you didn’t see it! The main stable looks like a prison, and there are so many horses and it smells so bad and they never get any exercise and I’m not leaving this place in one piece, I can’t!”

Though Erik looked resolute, mirroring his daughter’s expression probably without realising it, Dorian felt a small ember of hope ignite in his chest, bringing a small smile to his lips despite his fear over Rob’s fate. If Madison were so inclined, she’d make a great deputy one day. Or a sheriff. Willing to put her life above others for the sake of the greater good? That made a great sheriff, right there. But he wouldn’t mention that in front of Erik. His daughter was already causing him enough heart attacks without Dorian adding one of his own.

“Well, I’m definitely going, don’t know about the rest of you,” said Esmeralda. “And if you don’t sort yourselves out soon, I’m leaving without you.”

“Madison, please, let’s just go home and let the sheriff and Esmeralda do their jobs, we’ll be fine,” said Erik. But Madison yanked herself out of his grip and began running, heading in the direction of the compound.

“Sorry, Erik, looks like she’s made her mind up,” said Esmeralda. “But you’re more than welcome to stay here and look after Mateo. Actually, Mateo, you look after Erik. You’re not scared of wolves, are you, Mr Hightower?” The tease in her voice brought a blush to Erik’s cheeks, and Esmeralda had to laugh at him.

“Madison, wait!” Dorian called, running after the little girl. He at last caught up to her halfway to the compound, Madison slowing when she realised that it was only Dorian.

“Don’t try to stop me,” Madison huffed. “I’m not leaving here, nobody can make me!”

“I know,” said Dorian, slowing to a stop. “I’m not going to try to stop you. In fact, I agree with you.”

“You do?” Madison asked, brightening up. “Can you see how much I’m smiling right now?” Dorian chuckled, he could indeed see it.

“I sure can,” said Dorian. But then Madison suddenly looked ashamed of herself. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry!” Madison blurted, her eyes filling with tears as her lower lip quivered. “They took your horse, they put her in the bad place with Nightdust, I’m so sorry!” And she hugged him, sobbing into his chest. She couldn’t seem to stop apologising. And, though Dorian felt terror race through him at the knowledge that Iceace was gone, he comforted Madison, rubbing soothing circles on her back and assuring her that it was going to be okay. Because it would be okay- they’d get the horses back, Dr Eiren and other vets in the area would patch them up, and everything was going to be alright in the end.

“It’s really okay, Madison,” said Dorian. “Yes, it hurts that Iceace is also missing, but now we have that in common. We’ve both got something to fight for.” Madison sniffed.

“And you have to get your secret boyfriend back,” said Madison. Dorian froze, his mind racing. Was it really that obvious? But, seeing the terror on his face, Madison was quick to reassure him. “Wait, he is your secret boyfriend?” Her eyes lit up, her grin looking downright fiendish.

“I-it’s a secret,” said Dorian. “You can’t tell anyone, Madison, it’s-“

“I know,” said Madison, her eyes twinkling. “You’re the sheriff, he’s the outlaw, it’s not meant to be but you make it work. It’s just like the books that mama has that I’m not supposed to read.” Dorian laughed, though he hoped that they weren’t anything too bad.

“Just keep my secret, okay?” said Dorian. “And I’ll put in a good word for you when you come looking for a job as a sheriff if that’s what you want to do.” Madison nodded, her pigtails bouncing. Though he’d put a good word in for her anyway- Madison would be nothing but an asset to the police force of New Jorvik.

“I will,” said Madison, nodding. “Now, let’s go save Nightdust and Iceace and all the other horses!”

“But wait, we need to make a plan first,” said Dorian. Fortunately, by now, Esmeralda had caught up to them, travelling on foot. As she’d said, Mateo stayed behind with Erik.

“I hope daddy doesn’t want me to come back because I’m not going back,” said Madison.

“Oh no, he knows,” said Esmeralda. “I think he knows that’s a fight he’s not going to win.”

“Good,” said Madison.

“What’s the plan?” Esmeralda asked, turning to Dorian.

“Well, Anwir might be suspicious if two people walk up to the gate looking for work right after the other three just tried that,” said Dorian. “Maybe we should drop the pretenses and just go in as a sheriff being suspicious after hearing gunshots.”

“And his deputy,” said Esmeralda. “Only temporary, of course. I have no plans to join the police force.”

“Of course,” said Dorian, nodding. “Does that sound like a good plan?”

“And he’ll be too busy dealing with the breakout to hide things quickly,” said Madison.

“You are a bright little one, aren’t you?” said Esmeralda, smiling at Madison. Madison beamed at her.

“She is,” said Dorian. “She could make a good deputy someday, even sheriff.”

“Or an outlaw,” said Esmeralda, dropping a friendly wink to Madison. Dorian didn’t like the way that Madison’s eyes lit up at that.

“Well, you don’t have to decide on your future right now,” said Dorian. “Our only focus right now should be the horses.”

“Shall we go in guns blazing?” Esmeralda asked, cocking her gun.

“Not right now,” said Dorian. “I’ll go in first, investigating. Then, if it all goes belly-up, Esmeralda, you can come in. Don’t injure any of the horses and don’t shoot to kill.”

“Please, this isn’t my first rescue mission,” said Esmeralda. “Or my first rodeo. You do your thing, I’ll wait in the wings for it all to go wrong.”

“Glad you have faith in me,” said Dorian. But he didn’t let her bring him down.

Dorian had seen Darko get the attention of Anwir’s men by firing his gun into the air. But Dorian didn’t want to do that. Instead, he looked around for some other way to announce his presence. Seeing nothing, he settled for using his voice.

“Excuse me?” he called, hoping that his voice could be heard over the kerfuffle inside. “Is anyone home?”

There was a commotion on the other side of the gate, but finally, Dorian heard a familiar voice.

“Who goes there?” Darko asked from atop the watchtower. Dorian fought the urge to grin up at him, though he did look up at the redhead.

“Sheriff Dorian Wolf,” said Dorian. “I’m here about the shots that were heard earlier. Can I come in?”

“But of course,” said Darko. “Wait right there, I will take you in to see Mr Anwir.”

Though, as he hurried down, Darko wondered why he hadn’t thought of just walking up to the doors and asking to be let in. It seemed so obvious in hindsight.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the proverbial hits the rotating blades. Warning for gun violence!

As Darko led Dorian through the compound, he tried not to show that he knew this man. Instead, Darko kept his gun trained on Dorian the whole time while Dorian did his best to not look at his accomplice.

“Wait right here, please,” said Darko, stopping outside of a building that looked better than any of the others in this compound. It had window shutters that were open, for one thing, revealing an office space that looked rather bland and boring. Dorian much preferred his wood-panelled office, thank you very much. But he said nothing as he waited for Darko to knock on the door.

Grumbling greeted Darko’s knock, accompanied by the sound of something being knocked onto the floor. Dorian hid a smirk as footsteps approached the door, which soon opened to reveal a sharply-dressed man that he at once recognised from Madison’s and everyone else’s descriptions.

“Yes, what is it?” Anwir asked, annoyance dripping from his voice.

“Sorry to bother you, sir,” said Dorian, squashing the sheer anger that he felt for this man. Yes, Anwir was responsible for the theft of many horses, but that didn’t mean that Dorian had to let that anger show. Calm would see him through- after all, one caught more flies with honey, as the saying went.

“Donnie, who is this?” Anwir asked, scowling at Darko. “I thought I told you that I was not to be disturbed!”

“My apologies, sir,” said Darko, inclining his head slightly in respect. Dorian wondered how much that grated on him. “Sheriff Dorian here showed up at the gates investigating the gunshots.”

“A sheriff, hm?” Anwir asked, looking at Dorian as if he were something vile that Anwir had stepped in. “Well, I can assure you, sir, that our operations here are strictly business. We do everything above board. Those shots you heard were nothing more than my security team dealing with some… undesirables. But I can assure you, we have everything under control.”

“Then I’m sure you won’t mind if I ask for a tour of the facility?” Dorian asked. His only hope, which he knew was slim, was that Anwir wouldn’t be deep in the pockets of the various environmental authorities that existed here. He probably was, but Dorian could only hope. Dark Corps had been, which was why he hadn’t been able to do anything about them sooner, but Anwir was new. Surely, this would work.

“I suppose that can be arranged,” said Anwir. “If you will just give me time.”

“Why do you need time, Mr Anwir?” Dorian asked. “Unless you have something to hide…”

Anwir’s eyes were like coal as he looked at Dorian, a flush climbing up his neck.

“Not at all,” said Anwir, almost spitting the words out through his teeth. “Come with me, and you will see that there is nothing illegal happening here.”

Behind Anwir’s back, Dorian and Darko shared a look of triumph. The trap was closing. They’d be home in time for dinner, or at least back in New Aideen’s Plaza.

“In this facility, we capture wild horses and train them to be competition racehorses,” said Anwir. “Why, back in the larger cities, I was once a famous jockey. Until I was… incorrectly accused and tossed out of the industry, banned forever.” Dorian heard the heat in Anwir’s voice, and hoped that he wasn’t about to suddenly become violent. His hand rested on his pistol just in case, though, but he knew that Esmeralda had managed to sneak in behind him. He saw it in the smile that touched Darko’s lips as he glanced towards a shadowed alley between two buildings.

“That sounds unfortunate,” said Dorian. “So you made this place to prove yourself?”

“Precisely,” said Anwir, nodding. “And, when I was still forbidden entry despite having cre- er, bred several stunning racehorses, I instead set my mind on selling these to other people. After all, if I could not ride them myself, why not allow others the rush of winning, of having a horse that can win any competition in the land?”

“Sounds reasonable,” said Dorian, nodding along with him. “Where are the horses, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Ah, well, first of all, I must apologise for the state of the stables,” said Anwir. “You see, I do not want anyone to steal the horses, and my men refused to clean them. Fortunately, I recently took on a new employee to do this for me, but she was found to be… untrustworthy.” Dorian’s stomach dropped.

“What happened to her?” Dorian asked. “Was she imprisoned or sent to the local sheriff’s office?”

“Oh, not to worry, I have my own way of dealing with those that betray me,” said Anwir, waving his hand. Dorian tried not to let his fear show. Instead, he focused on the stable in front of him, and entered the building behind Anwir.

The smell was not as bad as it had been when Crystal had first arrived here, but Dorian still had to cover his nose. The sound of all of those frightened and annoyed horses tugged at his heartstrings. And, even though Madison had already told him that Iceace was not with the other horses, he still couldn’t stop himself from looking over the horses in here for his beloved mare.

“Not exactly ideal living conditions, are they?” Dorian asked, eyes streaming from more than just the smell as he beheld the horses in what could only be described as cages. It was as though they were in prison, behind those iron bars.

“As I said, I do not want anyone to steal my horses, which people would do because they fetch quite a high price on market,” said Anwir. “So, though I like the cages as well as you do, they are a necessity.”

“And do these horses get exercised at all?” Dorian asked. His eyes caught a filthy dun pinto stallion, and he froze before he could stop himself.

“Yes, my ex-employee tried to do that. Unfortunately, that was merely a ruse to distract me while an escape attempt was being put into place. But you would know all about that, wouldn’t you, Dorian?” said Anwir. Dorian looked away from Goldmist, turning to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

Fuck.

Quickly, Dorian drew his gun, but Darko was quick to slam his hand against the bars of a cage, disabling him. Dorian cursed as hot pain spread through his wrist, the gun clattering to the floor. There were tears in his eyes as he looked at Darko, cursing the man for betraying him.

Until Darko whirled around, coat flying behind him in a circle, drew his gun, and shot Anwir in the shoulder. Maroon bloomed in the shoulder of his fine blue coat, and Anwir gasped and clutched at it before a look of fury overtook his features.

“Traitor!” Anwir roared. “Guards! Everyone! Stop those two long-haired men!”

“Run!” Darko snapped at Dorian, and did just that, shooting the locks off the cages and pulling them open. Dorian took a few minutes to get his bearings, head still whirling and wrist still throbbing, but finally reached down, grabbed his gun off the floor with his good hand, and ran after Darko, aiming as best he could with his off hand to shoot the locks off the cages on the other side of the stable.

Esmeralda had heard the gunshots from inside the stable, but she could still only stare, mouth agape, as a herd of horses chased Darko and Dorian out of the stable. A few foals were even in the mix, giving shrill little whinnys. Esmeralda wondered where their parents were until she heard answering neighs coming from the tiny shed that other horses were kept in.

“Over here!” Esmeralda called, already running for the smaller stable. The horses mingled in a herd in the paddock, some fighting while others merely looked frightened. More than a few ran for the fence, though, colliding with it and then attacking with raised front hooves. The noise was almost unbearable, but the pepper of gunshots could still be heard through it. There was so much dust.

The sound of chaos woke Rob, the man grunting and squinting his eyes after cracking them open. Oh, that lantern was bright. And the smell made him gag. But Rob found a metal bar before him and hauled himself upwards, leaning against the bars.

An angry black pony glared back at him, and Rob gasped and took a few steps back. He’d never known a horse to have natural green eyes before.

“Rob!” a female voice whisper-shouted, and Rob turned to find Crystal standing in a cage not far from him.

“Crystal,” Rob greeted her, hands curling around the bars. His head throbbed. “What happen?”

“You got caught,” said Crystal. “We all did. Well, except for Madison, she escaped. And I think Darko was off the hook, otherwise he’d be in here with us. So we got caught.”

“Where?” Rob asked, looking around.

“I think we’re in that other building that Madison was talking about,” said Crystal. “If I were a betting woman, I’d bet that your cellmate is Nightdust. And there’s Iceace.” She nodded her head towards a chestnut mare. As Rob gazed around the room that was actually quite dimly lit despite the flickering lanterns, he made out a light bay draft, a roan Mustang, a bay Welsh pony, and some fancy-looking tall horses. He didn’t recognise any of them, though. But they all looked… odd somehow, except for Iceace. Some had scars, others had eyes that were a vibrant, unnatural colour. One even had red eyes.

“How we get out?” Rob asked, finally finding his words.

“I have no idea,” said Crystal. “I think this might be the end for us.”

And then the side of the building exploded where the doors were.

“By Aideen!” Crystal screamed, cringing away from it. A feminine figure stood silhouetted in the sudden light that pierced their eyes, smoke and dust screening her from view. But then a smaller figure dashed in, one Crystal and Rob both recognised immediately.

“Nightdust!” Madison cried, skidding to a stop in front of Nightdust’s cage.

“Did you have to blow half the damn building up?” Crystal snapped as Esmeralda sauntered towards her cell.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” said Esmeralda, unlocking the cell door with a careful aim of her gun. She’d tried to do that with the front doors too, but they were protected against such means of ‘lockpicking’ with some kind of explosive substance. It had backfired, quite literally, but never mind. This building wouldn’t be of much use for much longer.

Rob was freed next, followed by the other horses, but Madison wouldn’t leave Nightdust’s cell door.

“Madison, move, I can’t shoot the lock out if you’re in the way,” said Esmeralda. Nightdust had barely seemed to notice the gunshots, though the other horses had all spooked and were now out rejoining the herd.

“He’s not listening to me,” said Madison, turning her teary gaze on Esmeralda. “Look. Nightdust!” But, though she called, Nightdust made no indication that he’d heard her. “Nightdust, please, it’s me, Madison. Please…”

“Something’s wrong with him,” said Crystal.

“Thank you captain obvious,” said Esmeralda. She crouched down, taking hold of Madison’s shoulders. “Madison, sweetie, I need you to move out of the way so we can get Nightdust out.” Madison shook her head, more tears rolling down her cheeks.

“No,” said Madison. “I’m not leaving him.”

“Well… look, you can stand next to me,” said Esmeralda. “How does that sound?” And at last, Madison nodded and stayed by Esmeralda’s side while Esmeralda aimed and shot out this lock too. Nightdust didn’t even flick an ear towards the sound.

Madison ran in quickly, though, running around to Nightdust’s head.

“Nightdust,” said Madison, grabbing his head in her small hands. Nightdust’s green gaze was vacant, though. The lights were on but nobody was home.

A chuckling at the ‘entrance’ drew their attention, and Madison growled at the sight of Anwir.

“I thought I’d find you trouble-makers here,” said Anwir as he stepped through the dust. The maroon stain on his coat had spread, and he looked a touch pale. “You won’t move that one, though.”

“What did you do to him?” Madison demanded.

“I made some… improvements,” said Anwir. “Not only is Nightdust now faster and stronger, but he is now completely voice-activated. Watch this. Nightdust, you old nag!”

Nightdust raised his head, the movement stiff, and turned around in his cell to look at Anwir.

“Kill them,” said Anwir.

Three things happened at once. First, Nightdust pinned his ears, snorting and rolling his eyes as he pranced in place. Second, Dorian drew his gun and aimed at the rearing horse. And third, Madison threw herself in front of the pony with a very loud “NO!”

The world seemed to freeze, dust seeming to hang in the air. All was silent but for Nightdust’s breaths and Madison’s own panting breaths. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her body braced for impact. One hand rested on Nightdust’s nose.

“No. No! Nightdust, obey me!” Anwir snapped. Just as he had ignored Madison before, now, Nightdust ignored his ‘master’. Instead, he nuzzled Madison’s hand. Now, it was tears of happiness that slid down Madison’s cheeks.

“Hehe, good boy,” said Madison, giggling as Nightdust licked her palm.

“How in the hell did you manage that?” Esmeralda asked, staring at the two. Nightdust’s eyes had even returned to normal.

“In the old country, there were stories told of humans who shared a special bond with their horses,” said Dorian. “I never thought I’d actually see it, though.”

“Fine then,” said Anwir, drawing his gun. “Then it looks like this has been another failed experiment.”

Quick as a snake, Darko shot at the hand holding the gun, and Anwir made a strangled noise as the gun fell from his hand.

In the cell, Madison clambered onto Nightdust’s back, Crystal helping her up.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Madison, her eyes glimmering with hope. With a neigh that didn’t sound quite right, Nightdust burst out of his cell, Madison on his back. Anwir had to dive out of the way or risk being trampled, and then he could only watch as the group left him, Dorian mounting Iceace who had been waiting outside despite everything. Dorian couldn’t help but smile and shed a few tears of happiness to be reunited with his mare.

This time, there was no hole needed- Darko convinced the guards that the place was shutting down for good, with a little help from Dorian saying some official-sounding words, and the herd of horses, led by Madison on Nightdust, left the facility behind for good.

When Erik saw Madison riding towards him on Nightdust, he couldn’t believe his eyes. But there was his little girl, grinning fit to split her face in two, sitting astride the black pony that he’d seen near the ranch a few times.

“See, daddy? I did it,” said Madison, grinning as she halted Nightdust at the campsite. Erik gaped at her.

“So you did,” said Erik, shaking his head in amazement. His little girl had brought all the horses home. Just like she’d said she would. Maybe he really did need to give her the benefit of the doubt.

But she was still grounded for at least a week.


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so our heroes return home, along with all of the horses.

It was a significantly closer group of individuals who gathered in The Wolfpack one week later. It had taken almost that long to get all of the horses back to their own homes and rehabilitated if they needed it. Some were still being rehabilitated, Eiren doing all she could for them.

But things were different this time. Emma was back behind the bar, polishing glasses that weren’t getting any cleaner, and there was an actual wolf in the bar. Mateo had proven his worth, having kept bandits at bay during the journey back home. Now, Madison petted the wolf’s ears, Rania joining her.

“Well, everyone, we did it,” said Dorian. “All of the horses are home safe, and the rest will be home or rehomed as soon as they’ve recovered. On that note, if anyone is interested in purchasing one of the fine horses, simply head on over to Moorland Ranch or feel free to have a look in Eiren’s paddock.”

A smattering of applause and cheers greeted this news, Dorian smiling at the happiness that washed over the room. After the past week, this peace was just what he needed, what he’d craved.

“And it’s all thanks to my new friends!” Madison declared, jumping to her feet. “Dorian and Crystal and Rob and Esmeralda and Donnie and this wonderful guy Mateo.” And with that, she rubbed Mateo’s ruff, the wolf’s tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“And here I thought I’d had an adventure,” said Louisa, who’d returned home with a glow about her that was from more than just the sunshine. The adventure had been good for her, clearly. Were it not for the ring glittering on her finger, put there by her fiancée, tongues would have been wagging. And some still wagged, though those were rare.

“It’s just adventure season round here,” said Emma with a roll of her eyes. But she smiled. She’d returned from her adventure a changed woman too, seeming a lot more stable now. As though she’d finally put to rest some great mystery, finally settled.

“That it is,” said Dorian with a chuckle. Even if he hoped that there would be a break from adventures for now. His broken wrist would definitely be grateful for it.

“I think we should all give three cheers to Dorian and his crew for bringing the horses back,” said Sigry, her hands planted on her hips as she beamed at the gathered crowd. Dorian blushed, trying to hide behind his hair at the cheers that rang out along with cries of their names. Even Madison was mentioned, to her immense delight.

“That girl is going to be boasting about her heroics to her schoolyard friends for the rest of the year, I’ll wager,” said Esmeralda to Erik.

“I’m sure she would if she wasn’t home schooled,” said Erik. “There’s no school in New Aideen’s Plaza, and anyway, it’s simply too far to travel every day.”

“Well, at any rate, you’ve got another horse now,” said Esmeralda. “Hope you’ve got a paddock for him.”

“And a stable,” said Erik with a sigh.

“Well, if you ever need riding lessons, feel free to swing by Moorland Ranch,” said Crystal. “I hear they’ve started to put on summer programs for anyone who wants to come learn the way of the horse.”

“Well, why not,” said Erik, shrugging. “This town’s nice enough. Who knows, maybe we can fix up that old ranch and start a horse ranch of our own. I might write a letter to my brother-in-law Hugh…”

“If Louisa doesn’t beat you to it,” said Lisa with a laugh. She had a new twinkle in her eye, one that matched the twinkle on Louisa’s finger. “Eiren checked over that mare Goldmist was protecting, and turns out she’s expecting. I think that woman of mine might have caught the horse adopting bug…”

“Well, she always wanted a ranch,” said Crystal with a shrug. “Now she’s got one.”

“Hey, I don’t mind,” said Lisa. “Whatever makes her happy.”

“Talking about me?” Louisa asked, walking over to Lisa and handing her a glass of wine. Baroness Annabelle Silverglade had sent over some wine as a celebration for winning the day and rescuing all of those horses. Some thought that she did so out of a sense of guilt for being the reason that Anwir had even become involved in the first place, but all agreed that it was a welcome gift. The townspeople certainly appreciated it.

“Were your ears burning?” Lisa asked, taking the wine from her fiancée and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Perhaps,” said Louisa, giving her fiancée a knowing look. “I’ll need to visit Roo or Conrad later, ask them if they know someone who can help me build some stables. At least in time for the birth.”

“We’ll find someone, I’m sure,” said Lisa.

While all of this chatter was happening, Rob and Darko sat at a table near the back of the tavern, where the light was dimmest. Though they wanted to be here to support their partners, they were criminals and didn’t want the spotlight to be on them. Much as it grated on them to not be in the arms of their beloved as Erik was with Holly. But they could share secret cuddles later- Esmeralda and Darko had plans to return home and relax after their grand adventure, while Rob and Dorian had organised to meet up in the sheriff’s office after hours for some secret snuggling.

“Well, my fellow outlaw, it seems as though even the bad guys can be good sometimes,” said Darko, raising his glass to clink with Rob’s. Rob accept the toast, a smile touching his lips before he downed the burning liquid. Emma had brought out the good stuff for this celebration, stuff that nobody had tasted since Jack had worked here. Maybe she’d even gotten it from the same source… but if anyone noticed, they didn’t speak the travelling charlatan’s name.

“Rob safe,” said Rob. He’d escaped the debacle with only a bump on the head that had been sore for a few days. It still hurt a little, but Dorian had promised to kiss it better (which was what Dr Peterson had prescribed, possibly still in a whirl of love thanks to her recent engagement).

“Thanks in large part to Esmeralda,” said Darko. Rob gave him a knowing look but said nothing, for which Darko was glad. “And Dorian, I suppose. Most sheriffs wouldn’t dare work with wanted criminals, but it seems that Dorian is not like most sheriffs.”

“He different,” said Rob, and there was a tenderness in his voice that Darko knew well. He probably sounded like that when he spoke of Esmeralda, much as he tried to hide it.

“That he is,” said Darko, swirling the purple-hued liquid in his glass before he downed it. He would have to ask the barkeep where she sourced this alcohol from.

Crystal sat at a table with Dorian, nursing her own glass of mystery alcohol. She was pretty sure that this wasn’t moonshine, but she was also pretty sure that it wasn’t legal. But lately, she’d started to reconsider what ‘legal’ meant. Maybe the world really did exist not in black and white but in shades of grey.

“Shilling for your thoughts?” Dorian asked, knowing Crystal’s silences by now. Being the partner of a near-silent man, he’d learned how to interpret silences and few words.

“I hate to say it and don’t you dare say ‘I told you so’ but you were right,” said Crystal. She sipped at the burning liquid, grimacing. What on earth was this? If it was even of earth. She’d seen some things at Anwir’s compound, and now she was starting to doubt everything.

“Oh?” Dorian asked. He didn’t sound smug, instead sounding genuinely curious. “About what?”

“About the rescue team you sent,” said Crystal. “Esmeralda and Rob did know what they were doing. I guess, when you don’t worry too much about where opportunities come from or where they’ll lead, you get the job done better. I never would’ve thought of Madison staging a breakout, I would’ve been too worried about her getting hurt.”

“Sometimes in life, and in the role as a deputy, you have to take risks,” said Dorian. “Put your trust in those you wouldn’t normally trust, do things you wouldn’t normally do.”

“And here I thought this job would involve always doing the right thing,” said Crystal.

“Well, sometimes you have to think like a bad guy to catch a bad guy,” said Dorian. “Just as long as you don’t turn into an outlaw in the process.”

“I guess,” said Crystal. She could see the sense in it, but… part of her still felt guilty for burning down her grandfather’s bar. She comforted herself with the fact that Anwir was definitely a bad man and had deserved to be shot. Besides, he was currently recovering in a special hospital cell that Doc Peterson had helped to put together. He’d be just fine, and then he’d spend the rest of his life in jail. No matter how hard he tried to worm his way out of it, there was no getting out of this one. Anwir was going down.

“Well, you said you wanted adventure,” said Dorian, smiling at her. Crystal laughed.

“I take it back,” said Crystal, though she smiled as she said it, making it clear that she was joking. Being deputy was definitely shaping up to be far less boring than her old job had been. And she liked that, outlaws and shady morals and all.

In time, the celebrations petered away, the townspeople slowly returning to their homes. Most of them now had horses to get home to, after all, and who knew what the next day would bring?

Dorian was only too happy to retire to his office for the night, citing some kind of business. But those with a keen eye would see the man hiding within, and see the smile that grew across Dorian’s face as he closed the door behind him and turned to face Rob.

“You scared me there,” said Dorian, wrapping his arms around Rob. He snuggled into Rob’s embrace in turn, only now realising how much he’d missed it. They’d travelled through the night, and he hadn’t dared sleep with Rob on the train home.

“Rob fine,” said Rob. “You hurt.” And he took Dorian’s injured wrist in his surprisingly gentle grip and gently placed a kiss to the bandage. Dorian blushed before leaning up on his toes to press a kiss to the top of Rob’s head. Or try to, anyway.

Both men laughed as they stumbled over to Dorian’s desk, Dorian happily allowing Rob to pull him onto his lap on the desk chair.

“We did it, didn’t we?” Dorian asked. Rob nodded, a huge grin spreading across his face.

“We did,” said Rob. And Dorian felt his heart swell in his chest. It felt amazing, to have saved the day with the help of his beloved. Even if he still didn’t dare show the public his relationship, for fear of people questioning his ability to remain impartial when his love was on the wrong side of the law. Dorian didn’t care, but he knew that others would. But at least he’d always have his office and the barn.

Midnight had rendered the sky a velvet blanket studded with stars by the time the last of the guests had left The Wolfpack. The swinging doors clacked shut behind Esmeralda as she sauntered outside, her head feeling slightly… floaty from the strange alcohol that she’d consumed.

“A shadow from the night,” Darko murmured as he stepped out from the shadows beside the tavern to take his girlfriend into his arms. Esmeralda giggled, easily swaying into his embrace.

“We need to break into that back room and steal some of whatever that good stuff is,” said Esmeralda, looking up at her beloved.

“I agree,” said Darko, smiling at her. ”Perhaps we need to pay a visit to the barkeep or her mysterious supplier.”

“Yes,” said Esmeralda, her eyes luminous in the moonlight. “But for now, let’s go home. I’ve missed you.”

And, together, the two of them rode off into the night, Esmeralda still able to ride well despite feeling a touch woozy. Who knew what adventures the future would hold for them? All they knew for certain was that for tonight, their future consisted of a home together, being in the loving embrace of the one they loved. And, in stables and ranches all across Jorvik, horses settled into their homes both old and new.

And on one farm in particular, a little girl swore that her black pony suddenly took on the appearance of the night sky.


End file.
